


New Squidbeak Splatoon: Uprising

by ToonThink



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Bad Ending, Dystopia, Edgy story with angst, Gen, Inkopolis is destroyed, New Squidbeak Splatoon Team Up, Not exactly a happy story but has some comic relief, Octo Expansion, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 13:03:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 66,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18388976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToonThink/pseuds/ToonThink
Summary: In the bad ending of the Octo Expansion, Inkopolis and everyone in it is destroyed, with Cap'n Cuttlefish, Agent 8, Agent 3, and Off the Hook left to pick up the pieces. Struggling among themselves and their inner demons, the New Squidbeak Splatoon must assemble again to face off against new world leader Commander Tartar and uncover more dark secrets of the Kamabo Corporation.





	1. Cuttlefish Bunker

**Author's Note:**

> Update (December 4th, 2019)- I have updated the whole story so that Agents 3, 4, and 8 all now go by their proper names that they have in my other stories. Also fixed some typos and mistakes, and made other small changes to account for the name changes in the process. The story is otherwise unchanged. (As a disclaimer along with this, I wanna make it clear that while Agent 8's name is a reference to Viantastic, that doesn't mean she's the same Bridgett character that appears in those videos, and that she's still her own character here)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The survivors of the NILS statue attack continue to bond after having been trapped underground for 6 months.

A small mem cake fumbled through her hands. The young Octoling, sitting still in her dimly room on her worn out bed, stared at it with minimal blinking, as it was one of the few things which still brought her comfort. A small, orange haired Inkling mem cake. Every night, she felt, she stared at this single mem cake, the first mem cake she ever received and the only one she kept. Her surroundings were bleak, a dome shaped room mostly made out of metal, with some paper hung on the walls, each containing a few lines of poetry she wrote. This place, this small sad room, was her home now.

With a sigh, she pulled out her CQ-80, placing it on the bed and tapping the analog stick, a sudden bright holographic screen appearing in front of her. As always, she was a bit phased by the sudden light, but shrugged it off and moved to the record tab. She tapped the analog again, a red circle appearing indicating it was recording. With a sigh, she began speaking to it.

"Dear diary. It's been…. 6 months today since the NILS Statue. Meaning that we've been in this bunker for 6 months. I still have dreams about that day and how I could've done things differently, but…. it doesn't distract from the fact that we're running out of food. Marina doesn't know what to do. No one does. Mr. Cuttlefish can't focus, Pearl isn't speaking to anybody, Marina is getting more and more anxious, and no one can sleep, I hear Pearl up at night all the time making music, swearing in her room and whatnot. No one is acting like themselves. Ever since Jessica left, we all accepted defeat, and we've been trying to keep ourselves busy, but… there's only so much one can do to stay sane down here."

The Octoling sat back, her back against the wall, her mem cake close to her heart, as she fought back ink-filled tears. "I-I don't know how to keep this up. I spent… all that time trying to make it to the surface that I never considered what would happen if there's nothing to find. This was all my fault too. The whole world rested on my shoulders, and I failed. I ended up paying that price. ….I hope that one day Tartar pays his price as well, but that day won't be today. Can't be today or tomorrow. Probably won't be ever. We need Jessica back, we need food, and, we need hope. Too bad we don't have any of that right now."

Another long sigh escaped her mouth. "Love, Bridgett. Don't get cooked." She clicked on the analog again, the CQ-80 saving her recording and shutting down. Setting it on the floor, she slowly pulled the covers over her, preparing for just another sleepless night.

* * *

"God…. dammit!" Marina suddenly shouted as she slammed her open palm on the table. "They keep finding my drones!"

Cap'n Cuttlefish slowly and shakily carried his small breakfast meal to the table, his cane in hand as always. "Easy there, sweetheart, we only have one table."

Marina grunted under her breath as she rapidly typed on her laptop. "We're running out of materials for new drones. Tartar's creatures keep finding them. Sooner or later we're gonna have nothing, and worse still, this is gonna lead them right to our doorstep!" She suddenly slammed the laptop shut and stood up. "This is so stupid! Tartar has those things everywhere! I can't keep doing this!"

"Young lady, those abominations are mindless and you know it. They aren't gonna find us with a couple of drone parts."

Marina grasped the chair in front of her, masking a panic attack with a brief smile. "You're right. I just need to stay positive." Her brief smile now turned into a gleaming one. "Staying… positive."

A door was heard opening down the hall from the dining room, Bridgett stepping in shortly after. The dining room, which doubled as the living room in such a small place, was gray and sad just like the rest of the bunker, with metal walls and shelves with lines of canned food. The room's main light was dim and blinking, but some of the walls were lined with computer monitors hooked to the walls, which constantly showed information about the date and time, bunker temperature with other living conditions, and updates on Inkopolis' current… condition. The room overall, however, was easily the biggest one in the bunker, thus being the most comfortable room to be in.

Marina kept her smile big and shining. "Hi, Eight. I made us some seanwiches."

Bridgett left a small smile in return, but quickly returned to the usual frown as she grabbed her food and sat down.

They all sat in silence for a few moments but Marina felt like breaking it. "How is your diary going? Is the CQ holding up OK?"

"Yeah, It's fine. Might need new batteries though."

Marina's smile began to fade. "Well… I believe we have another pair but… those are the last ones. You… may have to start using it sparingly."

Bridgett got her daily hopelessness feeling early today. Soon, she won't even have her trusty CQ. "Well, I mean…. I can probably just turn to handwritten. Then we just get to worry about limited paper."

Cuttlefish grunted. "It's a miracle we even have paper."

"Hey. Positive thoughts." Marina, at this point, was singled out as the only person in the bunker who actively attempted to stay positive, even if it didn't really work. Her brief smile everyone knew too well returned. "I'm gonna go check on Pearl. Don't get cooked." She said with a catchy tone and a point as she walked out.

Pearl's room was a mess. Clothes everywhere, and at least 3 random electric guitars laid out on the floor, two of which were broken. Out of the group of four, Pearl cared the least about hygiene by far. Pearl herself still laid sprawled on her bed in an awkward belly position when she heard a knock on the door. Marina slowly opened it and entered.

"Hey, Pearlie. There's some seanwiches out there for you. I made them just the way you like them." Marina said with hopefullness. To her usual dismay, Pearl refused to answer. "…Will you please come out?"

Pearl moved just a little bit to change her position. "Hm. Maybe later."

"Alright. Just come out whenever you're ready, K Pearlie? …Don't get cooked." She paused for a moment before leaving just to see if she would reply with "Stay off the hook" like the old days, but silence ensued. No matter how little she wanted to accept it, Off the Hook was no more.

With a sigh, Marina closed the door behind her and retreated back to the dining room. When she entered, she noticed Cuttlefish looking up at the monitors on the wall with Bridgett casually sitting toward the back of the room staring at her mem cake. The screens were taken over by three big pictures of Marie, Callie, and Jessica Murdock, AKA Agent 3. Under each picture laid big red text with a threatening font,  ** _"MISSING (PRESUMED DECEASED)"._**

"Cuttlefish! I told you not to open those!" Marina yelled as she went to the keyboard and turned off the monitors.

"Pull those back up! I need clues on where to find them!" Cuttlefish yelled back as he attempted to push Marina aside for the keyboard. Marina held her ground and shoved him back, not even bothering to mask her panic attack now.

"You're not helping anything by looking at these! There's no clues to find!"

"Just let me find them! I need to find them!" Cuttlefish was getting extra shaky now.

"Cuttlefish, as much as I hate to say it, they're dead! Everyone is dead! Jessica left, and she's mostly likely dead too! You can't just go out to Inkopolis and survive!"

Cuttlefish dropped his cane and slowly sat down, tears streaming down his face. "No… Not my Squid Sisters. Not my babies…"

Marina, now crying as well, sat down next to him and grabbed his hand for support. "I need you to stay strong, otherwise I can't stay strong myself. Please, you can't keep looking at those and giving yourself false hope. Who knows, maybe… maybe one day we can pull together our resources and get out there to stop Tartar, and avenge them, but… you can't keep holding on to them like this. Let them go."

"We're not stopping Tartar in a million years. Not without Jessica."

"Who said we need Jessica? We have the next best thing" She pointed toward Bridgett.

"You don't understand, Jessica was one of the most skilled warriors I've ever seen. Nothing could stop her. Bridgett couldn't live up to her even if she tried her hardest."

Bridgett rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, don't say that." Marina sighed. "Eight knocked her teeth in when she was brainwashed, remember? I have no doubt she could do it again."

"I have doubts." Cuttlefish picked up his cane and slowly stumbled to his room. Marina and Bridgett were left to silently stare at each other as the daily sense of hopelessness fell over them both.

* * *

'What are the chances Jessica is still alive?' These were the thoughts that went through Marina's head at midnight in her room. Most of Inkopolis was wiped out in the NILS statue attack, with any survivors being finished off by Tartar's custom made minions, but Jessica was with them when they escaped the blast radius, and she only ever disappeared the day after. If there was any way left to remotivate the team, it was getting Jessica back. Although still doubtful of her survival, Marina opened her laptop and opened her word document.

_"Agent 3,_

_If you are alive and reading this, Captain Cuttlefish needs your help. I know you have the skills and training to face Tartar, so please return to Cuttlefish Bunker so we can regroup. No one holds your brainwashed attack on Eight against you, and I hope you'll make the right choice and come see Cuttlefish again. Don't get cooked._

_Marina"_

With her message typed out, she quickly encrypted it and sent it through Tartar's online server. "Oh, god, Jessica. We need you now more than ever."


	2. Octoling Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As tensions between Pearl and Marina continue to rise, Bridgett is forced into a difficult decision. Meanwhile, Cuttlefish Bunker is greeted by multiple surprise guests.

The next day came as any other day would. Marina, Cap'n Cuttlefish, and then Bridgett all left their rooms one by one to the dining room for breakfast, which Marina would usually make. Pearl, on the other hand, usually never left her room, unless it was to use the bathroom or sneak some food for herself back to her room. It was like a time loop. Concern and anxiety ran high throughout the bunker today however, due to the knowledge that they only had so much food left.

"Hi, Eight." Marina said with a smile when she noticed Bridgett stepping in.

"Hey." Bridgett didn't even smile in return, just sitting down with her food.

"Anything on your mind today?"

Bridgett looked around the room, noting that neither Cuttlefish or Pearl was in the room. "…I wanted to ask you about something."

Marina put down her food and sat down next to her. "Shoot."

"...Why did you leave the Octarians?" Bridgett wasn't eating, instead staring at Marina with a curious look.

Marina, who was caught by surprise from the question, harshly gulped down the food that was in her mouth. "…Why are you asking?"

"I just… need to know."

Marina stood back up, staring at the monitors on the wall as if they were windows. "I don't usually like to revisit those memories."

"Neither do I."

Marina took a full 20 seconds to think carefully about her answer before responding. "When I was a kid, I looked up to Octavio as a king. As a father. I was basically a prodigy with all these crazy technology ideas in my head which I eventually personally designed, Octavio saw that in me and took me as one of his prized minions. But, you should know that they teach you things, things like… how the Inklings and the Squid culture took the Great Zapfish from us. ….It took me a long time to realize it was never ours, we were taking the Zapfish from them. …They brainwash you is what they do. They feed on your emotions and they manipulate you. A lot of Octarians, they force into their bidding with the glasses I designed, but I didn't even need the glasses to fall under Octavio, he tricked me into it all by himself."

"You were a very famous Octarian."

"Yeah. …It took me a long time to notice I hated it there too." Marina turned back to Bridgett. "There's no mistaking that Octavio was an evil man. And I was mistaken to have followed him. But the reason I left was… I heard the Squid Sisters sing. That day, when Agent 3 fought Octavio, it made me realize just how much I love music."

"...Did you kill anyone?"

Marina closed her eyes and turned around again so her back was facing Bridgett. "…Inadvertently."

"I killed people personally. I was a soldier." Bridgett pulled out her orange-haired Inkling mem cake and once again fumbled it in her hands. "You say Octavio was evil but… I'm not so different."

Marina turned around again. "No." She then proceeded to sit back down and grab her hand. "No. You were brainwashed, by Octavio. You didn't do it intentionally."

"Yeah, but… When you wear the glasses, there's still a part in you that's still alive, trying to fight it. I couldn't fight it hard enough." She moved the mem cake closer to her heart. "…And then I had to save the world. I couldn't fight hard enough there either."

"That wasn't your fault. Eight, you are a good person. You were touched by music the same way I was. You can't take the fall for what happened to Inkopolis."

"Well, it was her fault, wasn't it?" Marina and Bridgett turned to see Pearl was standing by the hallway with an audio recorder. "And you're wrong. You're both terrible people. And I have all the proof I need now."

"Pearl?" Marina said, shocked. "What are you doing?"

"I've known for a while that you were an Octarian, but… I'm done letting it slide." Pearl turned off the recording and slipped it neatly into her jacket. "You both destroyed Inkopolis. You both destroyed my life."

"W-What? What's gotten into you? Tartar did that, we had nothing to do with it!"

"It was your plan. Bridgett failed to see it through. You both take the blame as much as Tartar does."

Marina, as an already emotional person, already had tears steaming down her face. "I tried my hardest. We didn't have any preparation."

"You wanna know what Octarians do, Marina? You lie, you cheat, you steal, and worst of all, you kill." Pearl menacingly turned to Bridgett. "And this one's killed plenty." Bridgett mimicked her foul gaze, ready to snap.

"Pearlie… We're not like Octavio. We don't do what he does." Marina said through her tears.

Pearl pulled the recorder back out and pressed the replay button, it repeating Bridgett's words. " _I killed people personally. I was a soldier."_

"You may think you're some kind of righteous heroes. But I see through you now. You're scum." Pearl said darkly, as she then left the room and back to her own.

Marina thought back to the Off the Hook days, how happy they both were. Those day were truly over in every way. She turned to Bridgett, noticing her new space-out look. "Eight? Don't listen to her. She's just… she's just going through a lot. Please don't listen to her."

Bridgett nodded her head and looked down. "No. She's right. I don't have a place here."

"Eight?" Marina repeated as Bridgett walked out.

* * *

Bridgett collected everything from her room. Her poetry she had on the walls, her CQ-80, and her clothes. Her mem cake still close to her heart, she packed her belongings into an old duffle bag and, with one last look at her room, closed the door and left.

She walked through the dining room, passing Marina who was hanging out on her laptop. "Eight? Are you ready to talk? …What's with the duffle bag? …Eight?"

Bridgett ignored her and headed to the opposite end of the room, pressing a button on the wall which opened another door, which lead to the exit elevator. Marina followed her.

"Eight? Where are you going? You can't go out there!"

Bridgett sighed and turned to face her. "Pearl was right. I'm scum, and I have no place here."

Marina began crying yet again. "I told you, Pearl is wrong. Please don't listen to her. You're our friend."

"Yeah, I'm your friend." Bridgett said with a small and brief yet reassuring smile. "Goodbye, Marina. Don't get cooked."

"Eight!" Marina yelled as Bridgett entered the elevator and waited for it to ascend. "Please!" Once Bridgett was out of sight, she began to violently sob. "…Dammit!"

* * *

Later that night, Cap'n Cuttlefish finally exited his room and joined Marina in the dining room.

"...Eight left." Marina said, silently sitting at the table, staring into space.

"What? Why?" Cuttlefish said with a concerned frown, sitting down next to her.

"...Pearl said some things. She got mad and left."

"Ugh, Pearl. I don't know what has gotten into that young lady but she has a stick up her butt!"

"We all have a stick up our butt. It's called the apocalypse."

"I'm gonna go talk to her and finish this!" Cuttlefish angrily stood up, but Marina grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Don't. Leave her be. She wants nothing to do with us."

"What do you mean she wants nothing to do with us? She's your best friend!"

"...Not anymore."

"I'm sorry, young lady." Cuttlefish sat back down, trembling as always. "These have been a very hard 6 months."

Suddenly, scaring them both, the alarm began to sound and the whole bunker turned red. Marina looked up at the monitor, which now read " **INTRUDER ALERT. UNKNOWN PERSON(S) ON PREMISES"**

Marina and Cuttlefish both hurried to grab their weapons by the wall, and stood guard by the elevator door. "Dag nabbit! Tartar must've found us! We must not let them in!" Cuttlefish screamed above the alarms.

"No... Eight must've changed her mind and came back. Or…  _Maybe it's Jessica."_  Marina said under her breath.

"Don't we have a security camera?"

"...Oh yeah! We do, give me a second!" Marina went to the keyboard and typed some commands in. On the screen, it brought up the area immediately outside the bunker. "…What the…" Marina said when she saw who was outside.

Cuttlefish then turned around, his eyes going wide at the screen. "No way…" The screen began to play audio.

_"Hey, Cuttlefish, you in there? It's Agent 5! You know, Sheldon? I run the Ammo Knights store? No? … Well I also have Agent 4 here! And Agents 1 and 2! You know, the Squid Sisters? I know you know them! We came all the way out here to talk to you, so will you please let us in?"_


	3. Rewind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some old members of the New Squidbeak Splatoon must break out of a small underground bunker after a deadly attack.

**6 Months Ago**

**Arowana Mall**

"Callie, you are actually insane. You can't just bribe store owners like that."

"Well, we have the money to bribe people with, and that guy was an asshole, so…"

"Also, why are you bribing store owners with money to get clothes for 'free'? Your logic is kinda flawed there…"

"Well it was either that or bribing him with sex but… ok yeah I see your point."

Callie and Marie were shopping early this morning in order to get it done before too many people saw them and crowded them with autograph requests, and the sun was barely out as a result. Of course, this was a 24/7 hour mall outside of the turf war scheduling so there was no concern about attempting to shop in the early hours before it was open.

Marie set her bags down and took a seat, looking at her watch. "Well I'm gonna sit for a moment but we should probably get going soon before they close this place down for turf war."

"Aw c'mon, maybe we should stay and actually play! We haven't done that in a while! Especially not together…" Callie sat down next to her.

"Yeah, probably because a certain someone went and got brainwashed multiple times by those stupid glasses…"

"Hey! They look good on me!"

"You put those things on again and you're saving yourself." Marie stated with a sarcastic tone.

"Hey, Marie…" Callie grabbed her shoulder and shook her, pointing at a TV through a window not far in front of them, which was broadcasting some kind of news alert. The girls stood up and walked over to it, leaning over just enough to hear it. The female newscaster Inkling had a dire tone of voice.

_"We don't know where it came from exactly but a massive statue of a human head has suddenly appeared from the lake by Inkopolis. Our scientists are investigating into the situation, but until we have more information, fingers crossed that this statue is a friendly."_

"Well you don't see that every day." Callie said with a confused squint.

"Please tell me Gramps and Jessica are back from their 'vacation'". Marie said nervously.

"No. I haven't even heard from them in a while. Why, are you calling in the Splatoon for this?"

"Yeah, I'm calling in the Splatoon. This has the octarians written all over it." She pulled out a handheld transceiver, and spoke into it. "This is Agent 2, calling for Agents 4 and 5. Meet me and Agent 1 at Cuttlefish Cabin in Octo Canyon ASAP. This is a potential emergency."

_"Copy that."_ Sheldon said on another end.  _"What are we dealing with here, boss?"_

"I'll tell you when I see you."

_"...We are now getting reports that some sort of… cannon, as appeared from the statue's mouth, and is now charging up a sort of energy. At this time, we request that all viewers take shelter as soon as possi-"_ Suddenly, the tv shut down, as a small earthquake began to shake the ground, rumbling the buildings.

"Holy shit…" Callie muttered.

"That's not good." Marie then spoke back into the transceiver. "Actually, run to Octo Canyon, NOW! Inkopolis is under fire!"

"How the hell are we gonna get there fast enough!?" Callie yelled.

"Follow me, I know a shortcut!" Marie pulled out her secret charger from under her jacket, and Callie grabbed her dualies. Inking the ground in front of them, they quickly swam to Inkopolis Square.

There, the Inkling civilians were in a frenzy. People running back and forth, knocking each other over and filling the area with screams. As the earthquake started to get more intense, Marie rushed Callie over to the storm drain by the Grizzco Industries building, and they both plopped in.

* * *

In the next minute, they had reached Cuttlefish Cabin. Sheldon and Agent 4, otherwise known as Dylan Schultz, were already there, awaiting instructions, although Dylan didn't have his usual Hero equipment on due to the sudden call.

"Hi, thanks for meeting!" Callie said.

"Can it, Callie, we have a big problem!" Marie said. "There's a big cannon aimed right at Inkopolis. God knows when that thing's gonna fire, but here's what I'm thinking. We need an infiltrate and destroy mission. Four, I need you to get inside that statue, shut it down, and find out who's running it. My bet, the Octarians."

"But… Octavio is still locked up right behind you…" Dylan said with a point.

"Please let me out of here! I'm seriously starving and I'm basically sitting in my own bathroom!" Octavio could be heard screaming from his snowglobe behind them.

"That doesn't matter, they could have other leaders." Marie sighed.

"Marie, I don't think we have that much time... It's already causing earthquakes just by charging, I calculate it could fire any second now." Sheldon interjected. "I think we need to evacuate, and get as many people as we can to safety."

"Man I wish Gramps was here…" Marie muttered. "He always knows what to do. … Ok, so-"

Suddenly, as if an asteroid struck, a huge gust of wind shoved the whole area. Callie, Marie, Dylan, and Sheldon were all thrown off their feet. The clouds above them were being pushed as if they were being sucked into a black hole, and the ground beneath them began to crack from the massive earthquake that followed. Debris and light green ink began to soar through the air, with enough force to knock down trees.

"Holy shit! Holy shit!" Dylan screamed to himself. The four of them were holding onto the ground for dear life, trying to prevent being blown away by the wind.

"Stay calm! Get down into the cabin! Now!" Marie yelled above all of them, and they slowly crawled to the cabin. Marie threw open the door, which was a small little hut at first glance but had a keypad in the corner. Marie entered a code in, and suddenly, the ground beneath them opened. "Hop in!"

The four of them jumped in, with Sheldon falling over upon landing, with Marie pressing another button on another keypad to secure the small bunker. They could still hear the commotion from outside, the rumbling from the earthquake, the massive windstorm going outside, and strange thunder like cracking sounds.

"Inkopolis…" Callie muttered, putting her hand over her mouth.

They waiting for a few minutes, waiting patiently by the exit listening and trying to catch their breath, the commotion finally starting to cool down. Everyone had a look of pure shock and terror to what just occurred.

"...Is everyone alright?" Marie said, looking back at everyone as she leaned on the wall.

Dylan looked the worse out of all them, as he was struggling to keep his breath in a rhythm. "What… what just happened?"

Marie and Callie stared at each other with concerned looks. "…I don't know."

"I don't…. I don't feel so good…." Dylan started to stumble backwards, before suddenly collapsing.

"Four!" Marie yelled, immediately kneeling down to check him and took his pulse.

"What's wrong with him?" Callie nearly screamed.

"He passed out, dummy." Marie only noticed then a big slash across his shirt, and upon lifting it to get a better view, revealed a hazardous slash on he belly. "Shit! Sheldon! Go get the first aid kit!"

"There's a first aid kit down here?" Sheldon stumbled to the light switch and turned it on, revealing a ridiculously small bunker, with shelves full of canned food stacked against the walls, but that was basically it. No tables, no hallway leading to extra rooms, nothing. "What is this place?"

"Sheldon, Four is dying! I need that first aid kit! He must've gotten swiped by some sharp debris…"

Sheldon rushed to grab the first aid, and handed it to Marie, as Marie began to treat the wound.

"...Where did you learn how to do that?" Callie said, leaning down as well to watch the progress.

"I learned a bunch of stuff when I joined the Splatoon, first aid being one of them. It's good to have experience in stuff like this when you're a secret agent." Marie took the hour to continue treating and monitoring the wound, with Sheldon and Callie anxiously waiting to hear results.

Marie wiped the sweat from her forehead. "….He'll live."

Sheldon and Callie both sighed in relief.

"...But he'll likely be useless in combat for a while."

"Can I just ask again? What is this place?" Sheldon repeated.

"This  _was_  Cuttlefish Bunker. It was built during the Great Turf War, but this one was too small, so they built a newer one in fear of another war afterward, one with actual living conditions to it. …But we can't stay here. We need to get out and see what happened to Inkopolis."

"Oh my god… My beautiful store… Ammo Knights… My poor baby is in trouble…" Sheldon said, retreating a little bit into his helmet.

Marie stood up. "Is that seriously your priority? Ok, new plan, guys, We need a search and rescue mission, save as many people as we can and bring them back to the newer Cuttlefish Bunker. That one was actually built to live in."

"Where is the other bunker? Why do you even know all this stuff that I don't, I'm Agent 1, I'm the one who recruited you, not vice versa." Callie said.

"Well I guess I'm just the more responsible agent."

Callie released an offended gasp. "You are not!"

"Callie, we're not having this conversation." Marie went back to the indoor the same code in, the keypad did not respond. She typed it in again, but it didn't even blink. "Dammit. The thing's busted…" She climbed the wall, trying to shove open the door but of course no budge. "Dammit!"

"What?" Sheldon asked innocently.

"I think we're trapped…."

Callie sighed, sitting down and accepting her new home.

"Sheldon, can you repair this keypad?"

Sheldon sat down as well. "With what? There's barely anything down here but food."

Marie began to pace in a nervous frenzy. "Ok… How much food do we have down here?"

Sheldon looked around at the shelves. "Well, between the four of us, if we use it sparingly I'd say… six months."

To Marie and Callie, he might as well have said they have 6 months to live. And it wasn't going to be a fun 6 months.

* * *

**6 Months Later**

The last 6 months were the most miserable the four had ever lived through. With no bed or extra clothes or anything, they basically lived on the ground, and they slept inside the shelves. Marie was attempting to stay positive at first, considering it a blessing they were even alive, but at one point she gave it up and instead opted to be depressed and silent all the time.

All four of them were pale and weak. Dylan was still injured and didn't move around a whole lot, but he could walk again. Sheldon basically lived on his cell phone, which he used to keep track of time, but, he had little way of knowing what was going on on the outside. No one still had any idea what Inkopolis' fate was.

One day, he suddenly screamed out. "Guys! You're not gonna believe this!" Marie and Callie both went over to him. "So, I was playing around with the wifi feature, which barely even works still because there's nothing to connect to around here, but the strangest thing happened. I intercepted an encrypted message!"

"What does it say? Any hints on what happened?" Marie said desperately.

Sheldon couldn't help but smile and giggle a little bit. "Oh this is gonna blow your socks off! Ok, I'ma read it out to you…"

_"Agent 3,_

_If you are alive and reading this, Captain Cuttlefish needs your help. I know you have the skills and training to face Tartar, so please return to Cuttlefish Bunker so we can regroup. No one holds your brainwashed attack on Eight against you, and I hope you'll make the right choice and come see Cuttlefish again. Don't get cooked._

_Marina"_

Marie went wide eyed. "Gramps…"

"Gramps is alive!?" Callie screamed.

"Apparently!"

"And he's at the other bunker!?" Marie screamed as well.

"I guess so!"

"AHHHHH!" Callie and Marie screamed like little girls and hugged each other, dancing in joy. "It's Gramps!"

"At the same time though, this raises a few other questions… What happened to Jessica? Who the hell is Tartar? Who the hell is Eight? Who the hell is Marina?"

"Marina from Off the Hook?" Dylan stood up to say.

"I doubt it." Marie said. "Marina isn't a rare name…"

"We gotta get out of here and find Gramps! Maybe we'll find Jessica too! Holy shit this is the best news I've heard in my entire life!"

"Sheldon! We've gotta get out of here now!" Marie picked Sheldon up like he was a toy, and then awkwardly set him down. "…Sorry I'm just a little excited."

Sheldon blushed a little bit. "Well, I, uh, um, well… We still don't have anything down here to work with…"

Marie and Callie both grunted angrily with threatening glares.

"...I'll see what I can do…"

* * *

Throughout the next day, Sheldon worked nonstop to find the problem with the keypad. Eventually, he gave up all together and suddenly smashed it.

"Woah!" Marie yelled, going over to him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm a weapon designer, not a… wall engineer!" Sheldon yelled back.

"I thought you were familiar with this kinda stuff. It's just mechanisms."

"Very old mechanisms. This kind of technology dates back to the Great Turf War. I don't know what I'm doing."

"Dammit." Marie sighed, turning back around.

"But, I have another idea. Since this technology comes from the Great Turf War, it must be old and fragile. So if I can just… Marie, can I borrow your charger?"

Marie sighed again and reluctantly grabbed her charger, handing it to Sheldon.

"I doubt you girls know this, but chargers and splat bombs are very similar weapons… So if I can just, rework some of the screws, do this, do that…"

"Uh… What are you doing to my charger?" Marie said as she watched Sheldon completely tear it apart.

"Aren't you listening? I'm building a bomb! We're blowing up the door!"

"That doesn't sound very safe."

"It's not. Haha!" Sheldon laughed to himself. The final product he designed looked nothing like an actual splat bomb, rather an almost random mold of charger parts. "Done!"

"How is that a bomb?" Callie questioned from the corner the room.

"Everyone, listen up. For your own safety, please lean towards the back of the room! Oh, and please don't do this at home. Now fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!" Sheldon moved to the back of the room where everyone else was already ducking, and threw the bomb to the entrance. It exploded, splashing green ink throughout the room. Much to Sheldon's dismay, however, it didn't do anything. "Oh…"

Marie sighed and then suddenly kicked a shelf and began to cry a little bit. "We're never getting out of here… I just wanna see Gramps again…" Callie went to hug and comfort her cousin, flipping off Sheldon behind Marie's back.

Suddenly, the doors to the entrance fell off the collapsed to the floor, revealing daylight.

"Holy shit…" Callie said, and the four of them went over to it, peeking out. As they climbed out, they saw the outside world for the first time in 6 months. Looking around at Tentakeel Outpost, they noted it was torn apart and kind of recognizable.

"The quirky weirdo actually got us out… I knew I promoted you to Agent 5 for a reason." Marie said with a small smile, although it was brief as the realization of the destruction around them fell over her.

"What the hell happened out here?" Callie silently questioned.

"This must've been the statue." Sheldon replied. "I've never seen a weapon like that do this much damage…"

"If it's this bad here, Inkopolis is probably dust…" Marie said to herself.

"Well boss… Where to?" Dylan asked.

Callie sighed. "I mean… I should be the boss, I'm Agent 1."

"To Cuttlefish Bunker. The  _real_ Cuttlefish Bunker. We're gonna find Gramps and Jessica." Marie ordered.


	4. The Promised Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the separated divisions of the NSS are reunited, Bridgett ventures to the destroyed Inkopolis.

**Cuttlefish Bunker**

The exit/entry elevator descended and came to a slow stop at the ground, the door opening shortly thereafter. Marie, Callie, Sheldon, and Dylan walked in, greeted by Marina and Cap'n Cuttlefish. Marie and Callie went straight to Cuttlefish, hugging him together.

"I missed you so much…" Marie said through her tears.

"We didn't think you'd made it…" Callie too said through her own tears.

Cuttlefish couldn't help but shed a few himself. "It's so good to see you girls again. I knew my Agents wouldn't let me down." They separated. "Where have you young ladies been?"

"We got trapped in the other Cuttlefish Bunker. We got out just today for the first time. You?" Marie replied.

"Well I made friends with an Octoling, got trapped underground, got kidnapped by a telephone, and then I got to be the hype man right before Inkopolis got destroyed. The hype man part was cool. I wish you could've been there."

"...Sounds eventful." Marie replied with a confused stare.

"Hey… You actually are Marina from Off the Hook!" Dylan said to Marina, shaking her hand.

"Yeah… Hi. I mean, we're not really Off the Hook anymore. Pearl, well, kind of…" Marina started.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry for your loss." Dylan interrupted.

"What? Oh, no, Pearl's here and well, she's just… well, never mind."

Cuttlefish pointed his cane at Dylan and Sheldon. "Who are these gentlemen?"

Marie turned back to look at them. "Gramps, these are Agents 4 and 5. I recruited Agent 4, or Dylan, to replace Jessica while you were out, he's the one who saved the Great Zapfish and Callie last year. Agent 5 is Sheldon from Ammo Knights, he was supplying weapons to Four so I promoted him."

Cuttlefish moved over to Dylan and put his hand on his shoulder. "I've heard about you actually. You saved my girl while I was out. Can't thank you enough for that, young one. I'm sure you'll make a great replacement for Jessica with proper training."

"Yeah, unfortunately, Dylan got injured so, he might not be much use in the field for right now." Marie sighed.

"Where is Jessica anyway?" Callie mentioned. "Is she not here? Because… this might sound unrelated, but I had this crazy dream where Jessica got invited to something called a… Smash Bros? It was so trippy, Marie and I were there as something called assist trophies and we would suddenly appear in the background and throw a concert and-"

"Callie… don't."

"Guys… I think we need to catch you up on some stuff real quick." Marina interjected.

* * *

"I gotta say, this place is SO much more spacey than the other bunker…" Callie mentioned.

Marina pulled up some pictures of Commander Tartar, Bridgett, and the Deepsea Metro on the monitors. Everyone in the bunker but Pearl was present in the dining room, some sitting at the table, others leaning against the walls. "6 months ago, Pearl and I accidentally contacted Mr. Cuttlefish and Bridgett, who were trapped in this underground labyrinth called the Deepsea Metro."

"Who's Bridgett?" Dylan interrupted.

"Agent 8. She's an Octoling." Cuttlefish replied.

"An Octoling?" Marie and Callie nearly yelled at the same time. "An Octoling in the Splatoon? Are you crazy?"

"Hey, calm down, young ladies. Octolings aren't all that bad it turns out. Young Marina here is one."

"You're an Octoling?" They said, turning to her. Marina only looked down. "Who are Agents 6 and 7? Off the Hook?"

"There is no Agents 6 and 7."

"Then why is there an Agent 8?"

"I don't know I just… thought it sounded cool."

Marina sighed and turned their attention back to the screen. "Anyway, this Deepsea Metro was like, next level trippy and creepy. When I looked into it, I found… the weirdest readings I've ever seen. It was almost like another dimension with how much energy was being circulated down there, it could probably shatter space-time if enough got concentrated. It was ran by the Kamabo Corporation, which was ran by that telephone. Commander Tartar. He's the one who destroyed Inkopolis."

"So… It wasn't the Octarians?" Marie questioned.

"Not directly, but he had an army of them, each one sanitized. That basically means he turned them into zombies. But as far as I can tell Tartar himself has nothing to do with Octavio. He said something about… using the best and brightest subjects to create a sludge of the perfect DNA. Sure enough, from what we can tell, he has designed a new species made out of that sludge as custom-made minions. Anyway… I didn't actually go down there but Cuttlefish and Eight ran into Tartar and they almost got smoothied into that sludge, but they got saved by Jessica. They all escaped and grouped up with us, but then Tartar revealed the NILS statue, and… destroyed everything."

"So… Where are Jessica and Bridgett if they're not here?"

"...They both left. In fact, Eight just left today. Jessica left the day after the Statue. I tried to contact her with an encrypted message but she still has yet to come back."

"Honestly though, the encrypted message led us right to you though. You should really be careful with what you send out over the net, even if you decrypt it." Sheldon admitted.

"Honestly, whatever. We're almost out of food anyway." Marina sighed.

"I was afraid of that." Marie mentioned. "I'm guessing both bunkers have similar amounts of food because we were almost out too." She stood up to shake Marina's hand. "It's nice to meet you by the way. Me and Callie are huge fans of Off the Hook. They could not have picked better replacements to the Squid Sisters."

Marina smiled. "Oh, come on, no one can replace the Squid Sisters. It's nice to meet you too."

Callie stood up to join them. "Where's Pearl at though?"

"She's here, she just… She doesn't like to talk to anyone."

"Well I'd love to meet her."

"It's just…" Marina once again had to shove back a panic attack. "It's complicated. She…" Marie and Callie both gave her confused looks, and Marina didn't know what to say in return. "Uh, can you give me a minute?"

Closing the door to her room, Marina sat on her bed and let herself quietly sob. With Bridgett gone and Pearl having turned on her, Marina felt lonelier than ever now. She pulled out an old picture she always kept in her pocket to remind herself of the old days, a picture of her and Pearl hosting the Off the Hook news, striking their trademark poses at the end of the show. Her sadness turning to anger, she proceeded to rip it in half, separating the sections that had Pearl and herself.

* * *

"Dear diary. It's only been a few hours since I left the bunker and… I feel like I'm dying out here." Bridgett was crying to her CQ-80 under the night sky. Today was the first time she saw the outside world since that faithful day she escaped the Metro. "I miss Marina so much. I'm starting to have second thoughts on leaving, but… I can't go back. Not with Pearl there. I can't trust her anymore. …The, uh, the battery on this thing is almost out so… This might be the last diary entry I leave. Ever. But I've gotta find Jessica, even if it's just a corpse I'm looking for. I need to look her in the eyes and ask why she left. I need to get her back to Mr. Cuttlefish. And if I succeed, well… I'll just let my starving stomach end my life. This world doesn't have any use for me. For probably the last time, don't get cooked." She clicked the analog and swept the CQ into her pocket. Her Octoshot and mem cake in hand, she swung her duffle bag over her shoulder and went back on her trek through Inkopolis.

Inkopolis was a wasteland, almost unrecognizable from its previous state. Collapsed buildings, barely any light, and disturbingly, what appeared to be deceased Inkling remains. Bridgett felt more and more sick with every disembodied tentacle she passed, knowing a beautiful society once stood here.

Suddenly, some light engulfed the sky above her as what appeared to be a Sanitized Octoseeker appeared above her, patrolling the streets. Luckily for her, she was just out of range of its vision, but the wind it produced threw a paper at her leg.

Bridgett picked up the paper, which had an unrecognizable language, even from the standard Inkling/Octarian language, and a distorted poorly drawn picture of a figure.

Unable to tell who the figure was, she tossed the paper aside. Much to her horror, the same Octoseeker passed over the street again, the spotlight centering right on her.

A gasp barely escaped her mouth as she instantly began to flee. The green ink that dripped from the Octoseeker showered over her, the alarm sounding louder than ever. Two green figures leaped down from the seeker, blocking Bridgett's escape route instantly.

Bridgett only had a second to analyze the creatures. They were disgusting creatures, made almost entirely out of the green sludge, a mix of metal, and what appeared to be sanitized Octarian remains. They held bronze spears and had very distorted breathing sounds to boot. These were the last things Bridgett could note before the Octoseeker suddenly slammed down on top of her, instantly splatting her and knocking her unconscious.


	5. Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bridgett finds herself face to face with Commander Tartar himself, along with the mysterious new villain: The Executioner.

Bridgett finally came to, the world around her appearing as a white void. She looked up, noticing that centered in the void was some kind of black hole. Her vision blurry and her ears ringing, Bridgett didn't even want to move, but the ground beneath her felt so hard and uncomfortable.

She didn't quite remember what was going on, but whatever it was that splatted her, it wasn't like turf war where you explode and then remanifest within seconds, she must've been out for hours.

She pushed her palm to her forehead and sat up a little bit, the world spinning around her, appearing in multiple fragments. As her vision cleared, she realized she wasn't in a void at all. She was in some kind of a glass container.

_"So… you're finally awake."_  A deep voice said to her. Bridgett turned to see who the voice belonged to, accidentally banging her head on the glass. Before her was some kind of man in body armor, his face covered by a gas mask, sitting down on a small seat by her.  _"I've been waiting to meet you."_  His voice was being mixed by some kind of voice scrambler, making the voice way deeper than any natural voice.

"Where am I?" Bridgett said, looking around her. To her horror, she realized what the container was exactly. She was in another blender, with a saw at the top beneath the lid. "Why am I in here? Who are you?"

_"Patience, child. I will explain all in time. I was hoping to be honest and friendly with you in your final hours, and do that I shall. I am known as the Executioner. I am Commander Tartar's second in command."_

"Is that supposed to be comforting?"

_"That is my intention, yes. I do not think it wise to treat my victims with hostility, I prefer to provide comfort in a person's final moments. But as I said I would be honest, I will not hide the truth. You are going to die today. While my intention is to provide said comfort, however, if you attempt to resist us, you will be punished before your execution. Let's just say I have… questionable methods."_

Bridgett took the words in like she was hit by a truck, but in the end, she didn't think she'd care for much longer. However, if the Executioner was willing to to hang out and chat, she might as well ask questions. "Where are we?"

_"Moray Towers. This was a popular sports location from what I understand. This is one of the few landmarks that still stands, truly impressively structured."_

Bridgett looked around again, now noticing they were in the center between two different towers with many slopes. The place looked very run down, and the surrounding buildings were basically rubble. She wondered how this specific location survived. "What species are you?"

The Executioner took a moment before responding, standing up to slowly pace back and forth as he spoke.  _"We are called Stalkers. We are a rather new sentient species created by Commander Tartar himself, designed by his sludge of ultimate DNA. Our DNA mostly comes from the Octarian race, such as yourself. Do not mistake my words however, we are nothing like Octarians. I remain Tartar's second in command as I am among the most successful breeds, having a completed mind. Tartar is ashamed to admit that not all Stalkers turned out the way he wanted."_

"Where is Tartar?"

The Executioner stopped his pacing to stand directly in front of the blender.  _"You will meet him in time. In fact, Tartar has some questions he will like to ask you, if you oblige. For now, I request your patience."_ Two other stalkers appeared behind him.  _"These people will stand guard here as we await Tartar's presence. Let me repeat. Do not resist us, or you will be punished."_

As the Executioner walked away, Bridgett was left to herself, leaning against the glass, as the two Stalkers watched her. Looking around in her pockets, she noticed that her mem cake was still there, and her CQ-80. Her Octoshot, however, was confiscated. She wasn't entirely defenseless, however. Now she had an escape route.

As soon as the Stalkers weren't really looking, she ducked down and turned around, turning on the CQ so that the screen was smaller than usual. The battery was definitely almost out, but no matter, she had time to send one last small message toward Cuttlefish Bunker. She hit the record button and spoke quietly.

"This is Bridgett. I'm in trouble. Please find me at Moray Towers, I don't have much time so hurry. Don't get cooked." She stopped the recording and quickly sent it online toward the bunker.

She silently turned off the CQ and sat up a little bit. However, upon looking out the glass,, she was met face to face by the mask of the Executioner. A scream escaped her mouth, as the Executioner punched the blender to knock it over. The lid fell off when it collided with the ground, but Bridgett didn't have time to react as the Executioner reached inside through the top and pulled her out.

He dangled her in the air for a moment.  _"I told you not to resist us."_ He then threw her strong enough so that she landed a few feet away, grunting loudly as she landed back first on the pavement and rolled for a second. Both the CQ-80 and the mem cake fell out of her pockets.

The Executioner picked up the CQ.  _"Who did you contact?"_ When Bridgett remained silent, he repeated the question more aggressively.  _"I'm not going to ask again. Who did you contact?"_

Bridgett struggled to sit up, ending up on all fours. "Why don't you wait and find out?"

_"I'm extremely disappointed in you. I offered you peace in your final hours and this is what you give us in return?"_ He said angrily, crushing the CQ by balling up his fist, letting the pieces fall to Bridgett below him. The destruction of the CQ didn't bother Bridgett as much, as she was well aware its days were already numbered. Where she drew the line, however, was him picking up her mem cake.

_"You seem to have taken a liking to this… cereal marshmallow thing."_

"That's not yours. I earned that." Bridgett struggled to say, anger brewing on her face.

_"I warned you not to resist us, and I did not lie about punishments."_ With that, he also crushed the mem cake, quickly turning it into dust.

The leftover dust landed in front of her as well, as she moved her hands through it with a distressed frown. Anger consumed her like it never has before, as she looked up at him.

"...They're going to find you. And you're gonna die for this."

_"And who's they?"_

"You don't know them yet, but you will. As soon as I'm out of here I'm gonna find Jessica, and you're really gonna be fucked then. I have faith in that."

He picked her up by the back of her shirt again.  _"I find your threats pointless. I know of this Jessica you speak of, her final screams when I blended her were most satisfying. I look forward to your screams as well."_

Suddenly, he threw her down again full force into the pavement, before suddenly whacking her across the face multiple times.

Feeling on the brink of death, Bridgett let out a weak cough attempting to roll over. The executioner kicked her in the stomach so hard she rolled back to the blender, before picking her back up and dropping her back in. Two Stalkers walked toward the blender holding a bucket of water. As Bridgett was already gasping for air, she watched as the stalkers poured the water in and closed the lid, her body quickly dissolving upon contact and once again rendering her unconscious.

* * *

**Cuttlefish Bunker**

"I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this though. Pearl is just so… different." Marina sighed. Marina, Marie, and Dylan were sitting over the dining room table, Marie listening to her venting and offering support.

"I think you two just need time. She'll come around to you eventually, I'm sure she's just stressed."

"It's different. We're all stressed but, she's actually changed. Her personality is unrecognizable. I just want things to be the way they were."

"Seriously. Just give her time. Nobody is acting like themselves. Except for maybe Sheldon."

Suddenly, the monitors on the wall lit up, notifying them to a received message. Marina stood up and tapped the keyboard, opening the message. Bridgett's voice sounded throughout the room.

_"This is Bridgett. I'm in trouble. Please find me at Moray Towers, I don't have much time so hurry. Don't get cooked."_

"Oh my god…" Marina said, backing up from the monitors. "She's still alive."

"She seems to have picked up your whole motto thing."

Cap'n Cuttlefish walked in. "Did I hear Bridgett?"

Dylan slowly stood up. "I'm going to get her."

Marie also stood up and grabbed Dylan's arm. "Are you crazy? You can't go out there! Not in your condition!"

"Then who's gonna rescue her?"

Marina sighed. "…I will."

"It's too dangerous young lady." Cuttlefish said, walking up to her.

"I don't care. I'm not gonna just sit here and let her die. She's calling out for our help, and I'm gonna answer."

"Marina… It's a suicide mission." Marie said, grabbing her arm as well, concerned.

"That's fine by me." Marina said, going toward the exit/entry elevator and pressing the button to make it descend. Suddenly, however, she got hit in the arm by an electric dart, stunning her in place before she collapsed unconscious.

Marie and Dylan looked at Cuttlefish in shock, noticing he had some sort of dart gun. "Where'd you get that!?" Marie yelled.

Cuttlefish put the gun back in his pocket. "Bridgett made her choices, but I for one am not letting more people risk their lives. Sorry to say it, but this is Bridgett's fight and her fight only. …And Sheldon made it, it's cool huh?"

Marie and Dylan sadly looked back at Marina, preparing to carry her to her room.

* * *

**Moray Towers**

With a gasp, Bridgett awoke, her body once again remanifested. Looking around, she was still stuck in the blender.

_"Good afternoon."_ The Executioner said, once again sitting outside the bunker.  _"It's been a few hours. Have you learned your lesson?"_

Bridgett's voice was raspy. "I'll never learn you sick son of a bitch. Don't forget that there are people coming for you."

_"Well it's been a few hours and no one has arrived. That's more than enough time for your precious back-up, wouldn't you say? Your life will be coming to an end shortly, but we have one more thing to address. Commander Tartar would like a word with you."_ He stood up and walked away.  _"She's all yours, boss."_

A robot clanking sound was heard getting closer to the blender. Bridgett looked around, seeing a big shadow creep past. Then she saw the towering figure above him

"Hello, Number 10,008. It's been a while." Tartar looked very different. No longer a telephone, he now residing in a new body, and was a long snake-like robot with his front end sticking him. His head stood up high and proud, his face only vaguely representing his telephone form as it was now much more animated, his arms and fingers long and sharp, and the lower part of his body held up by 10 sharp legs, kind of like a centipede. Bridgett felt sick looking at him.

She took a minute to think of her next words. "…You had Jessica killed. You destroyed Inkopolis. You killed everyone. That was all you."

"You look so much prettier than how I remember you. Did you grow?" Tartar said with an evil grin. "I've been dreaming of this day for 6 long months, plotting my revenge. I just never thought it would feel this sweet."

"You feel a lot more menacing than a telephone, I'll give you that."

"That telephone form was just a placeholder sweetheart. You're looking at the real me. I've evolved in every way, my AI is even more advanced now thanks to you. The professor who designed me didn't intend for me to have free will but… look at me now. …Oh, but where are my manners! I truly hope you had a nice chat with my Executioner over here, I personally saw to the creation of a second-in-command and, well, he came through for me. He's my finest creation."

"...What did you do to Agent 3?"

Tartar laughed a little. "Oh, I promise you, she didn't suffer, but… I gotta say, that girl was a huge pain in my ass. See after I destroyed this worthless city and began to build my empire, she somehow escaped, she became some heroic vigilante, and stopped a few of my plans. She was a cockroach! But one day, I caught her red handed, threw in a blender, and crush, down falls the caped crusader!"

Bridgett began to cry a little bit at the description. She had failed to find her.

"Now I only have one question, however. …Where are your friends hiding? I know you were with others." Tartar looked straight into the blender, with a menacing stare.

Bridgett wasn't about to let them fall for her, instead coming up with a lie. "They're dead…"

Tartar laughed like a maniac. "If you've lived for this long then I have no reason to believe they're dead. Try again."

"I don't know what to tell you. They died, I'm the only survivor, that's why I'm back here in Inkopolis."

Tartar took a second to think this over. "I really hope you're not lying to me. Because if you are I'll find out. I'll do to them what I did to Agent 3, and what I'm about to do to you." Tartar gave another menacing style. "Now the moment we've all been waiting for. I've been looking forward to this ever since you escaped the first time. How lucky of me that you survived this long to see it through. She's all yours, Executioner. Blend her. Her time is up."

_"As you wish."_  The Executioner moved over to the blender, and gave her a long stare.  _"It's been a pleasure getting to know you… Number 10,008."_ To Bridgett's confusion, he gave a reassuring nod to finish.

He reached down to the button which would start the blending process, but paused.

"Executioner? It's time." Tartar said.

Suddenly, a spear grew from the Executioner's hand, and with a single move, he slashed at the glass, cutting it open.  _"Get out of here!"_

"Traitor!" Tartar instantly yelled, preparing to slash down at the Executioner. He used the spear to block the attack and knock him back, buying small amounts of time. He quickly grabbed Bridgett, and again to her surprise, brought her over the edge of Moray Towers and threw her off.

Due to the lightweight nature of the Inkling and Octoling bodies, she landed safely, looking back up to see if she could see what was happening. She was too low down, however.

_"I've played the servant for long enough! Feels good to show you my real intentions."_ The Executioner yelled, preparing to face Tartar in combat.

"You useless thing! You're gonna be going in the blender next!" Tartar yelled, also readying himself.

_"Good luck with that."_ With swift acrobatic moves, the Executioner engaged him in combat, blocking Tartar's moves with his spear, while dealing his own blows. Overall, Tartar proved to be no match for him. The Executioner managed to flip around him and grab him by the arm, holding him still.  _"Give me your limbs!"_

Tartar screamed in pain as his robot arm was ripped from his body. The Executioner kicked him aside, knocking him down.

_"You know we lied to the girl. We both know Agent 3 is still alive. She will come for you."_  The Executioner said confidently.

Tartar pushed his pain aside for another smile, mocking his words. "Good luck with that… Know that this isn't over." As he slithered away, he called upon the Tartar forces. "Stalkers! Kill the girl! She must not walk away alive!"

When Tartar was out of sight, the Executioner jumped off of Moray Towers himself, lightly landing by Bridgett.  _"Are you alright?"_

Bridgett slightly nodded with her mouth open, still in shock.

_"You're going to need this."_ The Executioner handed her the Octoshot, as two Stalkers jumped off Moray Towers and landed by them.  _"Stay close to me._   _I will ensure your safety."_

The Stalkers ran toward them, with high pitched and distorted shrieking noises. The Executioner jumped over the first one and began to attack him from behind, while Bridgett began firing at the second one, who was fast and dodged her.

The his spear, the Executioner decapitated the Stalker he was battling, and took notice that more Stalkers were incoming, some holding battle axes.

Bridgett held the tactic of keeping her distance and firing ink at any incoming enemies, while the Executioner expertly dodged around and sliced several of them up. Two Stalkers snuck up behind Bridgett, knocking her down and attempting to land a finishing blow to the head, but they were suddenly decapitated as well by the Executioner, who threw his spear at them.

Only one Stalker remained, who the Executioner straight up punched and kicked until he was knocked down, leaving them alone on the street surrounded by the green sludge. Bridgett slowly got up, not taking her eyes or gun off the Executioner, whose back was facing her, not fully trusting him quite yet.

The Executioner was out of breath, his breathing being distorted by his voice scrambler.  _"…Well done."_

"Don't move." Bridgett said, gun still locked on him. "You destroyed my belongings and beat me up. That really hurt, by the way. Don't tell me now that I'm supposed to trust you."

_"…I did it to earn the trust of Tartar. I'm not going to apologize for sticking to my role, and I don't expect forgiveness. It's best we move on."_

"Take off that mask and that… crazy voice thing you have."

The Executioner sighed. He took off the back plates of his armor, revealing a flowing cape that was underneath. Bridgett slowly started to lower her Octoshot when she saw this, noting the number 3 on it.

The rest of the armor fell off, revealing that it wasn't a male Stalker. It was a female Inkling in disguise after all. Bridgett's mouth opened with a gasp.

She took off the gas mask, her orange hair falling down her back, as she turned around, revealing her face.

It was Jessica Murdock.


	6. The Hero's Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bridgett meets with an old ally.

Bridgett stumbled as she struggled to find the right words, thinking she might pass out from shock. "Y-you…"

Jessica dropped the gas mask and turned her back to Bridgett, pulling out a remote from her pocket without saying a word. She no longer wore her usual Hero Gear, having replaced it for a black jacket with some padding, but still wore the same torn cape.

"We've been looking for you. For months."

Jessica pressed a button on the remote, as a rotating platform that resembled some sort of UFO slowly floated down to the street. "…How's Cuttlefish?"

"...He's been grieving for you! He thinks you're dead!"

"I'm glad he survived." Jessica leaped onto the platform.

Bridgett was shedding tears of pure anger. "You beat me up! You destroyed by mem cake!"

"It was an act. I was undercover. Nothing personal, kid."

"WHY were you undercover? You were right there by Tartar, why not just kill him?"

Jessica turned around to give Bridgett a last look. "There's more to it than you'd think. Now that my cover's blown, however, I need to bounce before Tartar actually realizes who the 'executioner' is." She looked at some kind of high tech watch she had on her wrist. "Why don't you go back to Cuttlefish? He needs you more than he needs me, I'm sure."

"You are NOT about to run away again! You have to come with me, Cuttlefish needs you!"

"Yeah, well, a lot of people needed me six months ago and they're all dead now. Look around you! You're not saving anybody. I'm taking care of Tartar myself, so don't get in my way."

As Jessica paused for a second, messing around with her watch, Bridgett turned around and pulled out a splat bomb that came with her Octoshot, hiding it from her view. She didn't have very many of them, but she happened to take them with her for her trip out of the bunker. "I'm giving you one more chance. You're going to come with me, and you're going to talk to Cuttlefish. You don't realize it, but he needs you."

Jessica didn't respond. So, suddenly, Bridgett turned around and tossed the splat bomb right onto the platform.

"Dammit!" Jessica yelled as she backflipped off the platform, landing steadily. "You wanna try that again, kid? I'll kick your ass!"

"Really? I remember me kicking YOUR brainwashed ass last time." Bridgett said has she pulled out another bomb.

Much to Bridgett's surprise, Jessica super jumped into the air in her squid form, and came slamming down with a splashdown near her. Bridgett got knocked back by the orange ink like she was caught in a powerful wind storm, which wasn't quite enough to splat her, but enough to cover her in it.

"How many times do I gotta fight an Octoling? Seriously, it's like Octo Valley all over again." She muttered to herself as she pulled out her Hero Shot. "You try that again, I splat you."

Bridgett stood up, her Octoshot still in hand. "Try me." She leaped out of the way, beginning to fire at her, as Jessica returned fire.

They ran and strafed around each other, their ink spreading around the area like a turf war, with the occasional bombs. Soon enough, Bridgett realized she was out of bombs to throw.

Jessica saw her confusion when she noticed her lack of bombs, and with a mischievous smile, began to throw several Autobombs at her, which she had plenty of. Running low on ink, Bridgett decided to hide in her ink and duck out.

Thanks to the army of Autobombs following Bridgett, Jessica was able to ink a path and quickly follow her without losing her, but quickly found that the Autobombs had fallen off track. Now not knowing where Bridgett was, Jessica spun around in circles trying to find her.

There were no signs of her anywhere. Jessica dropped her guard and rolled her eyes with a scoff, beginning to walk back to her platform. "Octoling coward."

The platform was ready and waiting for her, constantly floating and rotating exactly where she parked it. She leaped onto it and pulled her remote back out, pressing a button that caused the platform to start ascending. She looked up at the sky, now having a gray tint to it all the time due to the pollution caused by the cities destruction, and sighed to herself.

Suddenly, however, pink ink erupted around her as her armor broke off, knocking her off the platform as she lightly landed back on the ground. Somehow, some way, Bridgett had snuck aboard the platform when she wasn't looking. Bridgett leaped off herself, landing gracefully and turning to Jessica.

"I told you you're not running away." Bridgett said with a small smile, finally feeling some success for the first time in 6 months.

"Oh, son of a-" Jessica began to yell as Bridgett suddenly rolled past her and swept her remote straight from her hand. She couldn't help but chuckle. "I gotta admit. You're getting better. But, this isn't a damn game so-"

Bridgett dropped the remote and crushed it beneath her foot. "That's for my CQ"

Jessica's chuckle dropped immediately, gritting her teeth in anger. "Oh you're dead." She pulled out a strange device that Bridgett had never seen before. It was like an igniter with a miniature Killer Wail type speaker on it, as she pressed the button on top.

Suddenly, a high pitched sound vibrated the immediate around there, quickly forcing Bridgett to cover her ears. The vibrations were shaking the ink that made up her body, causing her to slowly revert from her humanoid form. Falling to her knees, Jessica suddenly took her Hero Shot and whammed her right in the head with it. She turned off the device as Bridgett fell to the ground unconscious.

* * *

Bridgett drifted into a dream, a very lucid one, well aware she wasn't really awake. She stood up and inspected her surreal surroundings. She was on some kind of platform with glass railings surrounded by speakers in…. DJ Octavio's base.

Disco lights surrounded the area, Octavio's massive robotic tentacles visibly flailing around. Bridgett looked down to notice she was in the same clothes she wore when she was in the Deepsea Metro. She already had her octoshot, letting her notice her ink was currently blue.

A TV screen buzzed to life nearby the platform, and she walked over to be over to see it over the railing. Callie and Marie lit up the screen, in their traditional Squid Sister outfits.

_"Hold on to your tentacles…"_ Callie started.

_"It's Inkopolis News time!"_ Marie continued.

_"Before we reveal the stages, some special news!"_

_"Oooh!"_

The tv screen within the tv screen behind the Squid Sisters lit up as well.

_"We've received word from… on high."_

_"You don't mean…?"_

_"That's right! There's going to be a Splatfest soon!"_

_"OOH! What's the theme? What's the theme!?"_

_"Just a moment! The theme is descending as we speak!"_

_"Let's see it! Let's see it!"_

The screen behind the Squid Sisters revealed two photos. One of Bridgett, and one of Jessica.

Callie jumped up in almost a Mario pose.  _"And there we have it! The ultimate showdown! Who will win? One one side we have the despicable Octoling… Agent 8!"_

_"And on the other, we have the fearless warrior who can do no wrong… AGENT 3!"_

_"Well do you think will win, Marie?"_

_"Well, you know I have to go with my girl Jessica. She never fails! …Assuming how splatfests usually go, I assume Callie will pick the losing side."_

_"HAHAHA! Nope! Jessica all the way! We will have to see to see though… Will Agent 8 be able to top her Inner Agent 3?"_

_"Probably not. Agent 8 is such a loser!"_ Marie said with an evil laugh.

_"How about you at home? It's time to decide!"_

_"Head over to the Pledge Box and pick a side!"_

_"Until next time…"_

Both girls struck their trademark poses.  _"Staaaaay fresh!"_ They said in unison, their voices sounding distorted.

Suddenly, as the broadcast concluded, the TV disintegrated into ash, the particles falling to the void below. Bridgett looked around her again in disbelief, now noticing the floating platform above the platform.

Jessica stood atop it, her back facing Bridgett. Now wearing her usual Hero Gear, her cape flowed. She turned around just enough to spot Bridgett, and with a spin, she flipped off the platform, landing with a splashdown. As she did this, the Calamari Inkantation began to play from the speakers. She instantly threw an autobomb, as the two once again began to strafe around each other, covering the platform with blue and orange ink.

Just as Bridgett was beginning to close in on Jessica, Jessica suddenly pulled out an Inkjet, flying above the stage, raining down massive massive shots of ink.

Bridgett did her best to dodge, but sooner than she wanted, her armor was broken, and she was quickly splatted.

Then… it all started over. She was standing back on the platform as if she never got defeated, and Jessica once again suddenly landed with a splashdown. They faced each other several times, each time ending with Jessica surprising her with a crazy special move and quickly splatting her. Every time, she was sent back to just before the match started, like a broken record.

Bridgett simply couldn't get past her. Jessica was fast, had seemingly unlimited ink, autobombs, and specials, and apparently had some of the strongest armor on the planet as it took several hits to even breach it.

Every time Bridgett managed to break open her armor, she just retreated back to her platform, took a few seconds to heal, and then slammed back down with a splashdown. She was seemingly unbeatable.

This was all repeated for what seemed like hours to Bridgett. No matter how many times she thought she knew the rhythm, she was caught off guard and splatted. Jessica's autobombs must have been stronger too, because if she had her armor broken while one was chasing her, there was no escaping. When will the dream end.

Eventually, Bridgett gave up all hope. She dropped her Octoshot, dropping to her knees, accepting defeat. Tears streamed down her face, as the Calamari Inkantation playing in the background became distorted.

Suddenly, Cap'n Cuttlefish, Marina, and Pearl appeared before her.

Bridgett no longer really knew what to say. "I… I can't beat her. I'm a failure…" She looked down, her tears becoming stronger. "…I'm sorry…"

Marina got down on one knee to get down to eyesight level. "Hey. You're not a failure."

"She's too strong…"

Marina put her hands on Bridgett's cheeks to turn her head upward. "Look at me."

Bridgett looked at her with a sigh.

"This is life. We all fail, sometimes over and over again. We become stronger while doing it. And eventually, even if it takes years… we succeed. You just need to have hope."

Bridgett shook her head no. "It doesn't work like that. I failed to stop Tartar, the world got destroyed. …That's permanent."

Marina gave a reassuring smile. "Well, even then… there's always hope."

Marina, Cuttlefish, and Pearl disappeared as suddenly as they appeared. Jessica landed near her, slowly walking over to her. Without a word, she raised her Hero Shot to Bridgett's head, preparing to land a finishing blow. The Calamari Inkantation lost the distortion effect, now becoming louder. Bridgett closed her eyes, and just like that, snapped back to reality.

* * *

She woke up with ink sweat on her forehead. She stood up, her Octoshot still in hand, them still being underneath Moray Towers. Jessica, now having lost access to her platform without the remote, was slowly walking away.

"...Hey!" Bridgett yelled at her. "We're not finished yet!"

Jessica turned around with a sigh. "Leave me alone, kid. I'm not doing this." She turned back around, continuing on her trek.

Bridgett, her Octoshot held tightly in her hand, began to follow her. "I don't care if you want it! I can do this all year!"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "You little shit. I'm sick and tired of Octarians." She pulled out her soundwave device again, but Bridgett ran at her and swiped it from her hand before she could press the button.

"I'm not exactly Octarian. Not anymore at least." Bridgett said with a smile, now pushing the device herself.

The high pitched sound now attacked Jessica, with her now being the one to cover her ears with a scream.

"You're coming home." Bridgett said, shooting her several times with the Octoshot. Jessica exploded in Bridgett's pink ink, having been splatted.

Bridgett felt a rush in her head, closing her eyes. A vision of her dream appeared before her again.

In the dream, Bridgett broke Jessica's armor one last time. Defeated, her Inner Agent 3 was knocked unconscious as she flew up into the air in slow motion, her Hero Headset flying off her head. She had won.

* * *

**Cuttlefish Bunker**

"God… my head is killing me." Marina said, sitting at the dining room table. Everyone in the bunker but Pearl was present. "Why'd you tase me?"

"Young Lady, you were going to get yourself killed. I wasn't about to allow that." Cuttlefish said in response.

Marie sat down next to her with some chocolate. "Here. Have some chocolate. You'll feel better."

Marina accepted the chocolate. "…Thanks Professor Lupin."

"If you guys are almost out of food…. how is there even chocolate in the first place?" Callie said.

"We're very cautious with the food we eat. Younger me would've chowed down all the chocolate within a day, I admit, but, I haven't exactly had an appetite for the last 6 months." Marina sighed.

"Well… I respect you for even having chocolate stored in a bunker meant for emergencies." Callie went over to fistbump her shoulder.

Dylan sat down himself. "Shouldn't we consider going out to look for food?"

Marina sighed. "Too dangerous. Tartar has his minions all over Inkopolis."

"Hence why I tased you." Cuttlefish said, pointing his finger up.

"Whatever."

Suddenly, the alarm went off again. "Shit!" Marie yelled. "What does that mean?"

Just like last time, Marina and Cuttlefish grabbed their weapons to guard the entrance. "It means an intruder is by the bunker."

Marie sighed. "I wish I still had my charger…" She said, staring at Sheldon.

"Good grief. I'll just build you a new one!" Sheldon sighed.

Suddenly, the elevator ascended. And there was only one person who'd remember the passcode to even access the elevator from the outside.

"Eight…" Marina gasped.

The elevator descended back down, the doors opening, Bridgett walked in, dragging an unconscious Jessica by her cape. Dropping the cape, Jessica laid completely limp on the floor. "Hi. I'm back." Bridgett said with a smile.


	7. Broken Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group questions the loyalties of a certain member, Pearl and Marina discuss their friendship, and Bridgett meets the Squid Sisters.

**The Next Day**

Jessica woke up face down on a metal table. With a groan, she sat up and tried to move, only to notice her hands were held together by duct tape, which was also duct taped to the table. She looked around, noticing that she was in some sort of small metal dome-shaped room. "Shit." She muttered to herself, quickly checking her surroundings for anything to escape with. There was a metal door in front of her. As she tried to stand up, she also noticed that her chest and legs to tied to the chair she was sitting in. She struggled around for a minute, and even tried her squid form, but nothing worked. "Dammit."

Frustration building inside her, she banged the table with her tied up hands. "LET ME OUT OF HERE! OCTOLING!"

The door opened, with someone walking in, but it wasn't Bridgett. Dylan stepped in, taking a seat across from her. "Hi. It's nice to meet you, Agent 3. I have heard so much about you."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Dylan. Agent 4. I was your replacement when the Great Zapfish got kidnapped again, since you were on your missions or whatever."

Jessica sighed. "…Replacement, huh? So all this about Cuttlefish needing me was a lie?"

"Not really. For one, I'm… kind of injured. I've been completely useless. Second, from what I hear, you're just a much better agent than me."

"Where's the Octoling?"

"Bridgett is in the other room."

"Tell her to let me out of here."

"It's not up to her. It's up to Captain Cuttlefish."

"Then tell Cuttlefish to let me out of here!"

"I doubt he'll listen, even if you begged. From what Bridgett has told us, you've been really busy. Going around under our noses, as some kind of caped vigilante who was undercover as second in command to Tartar himself. And here I thought Octo Canyon was dangerous. The question that's on our minds, though, what's your goal? You were undercover right next to Tartar the whole time and you never killed him."

"It's complicated."

"Well, uncomplicate it. I hear you're a good agent but I'll be honest, the only one who trusts you after Bridgett's Executioner story is Cuttlefish himself."

Jessica chuckled to herself. "You seem pretty aggressive, Agent 4."

"I'm just doing my job. Now, we wanna know. What's your goal?"

"It's not really your business, Dylan. Do yourself a favor and let me out before I get really mad."

Dylan sighed and stood up. "We've been going through quite a lot for 6 months. You being stubborn with us really isn't helping anyone, especially not yourself."

"Really? Too bad I just don't care."

Dylan stepped out, returning to the dining room area. "She's not talking."

"Well she better talk soon. She's hiding something." Marie sighed. "She's so different from the Octo Valley days. What happened to her?"

"The apocalypse happened. Changed all of us." Marina sighed. "This is torture. But at least Eight is back."

Everyone in the bunker was present, even Pearl. Pearl sat near the back, glaring at Bridgett. Bridgett gave her the occasional glance back, but Pearl refused to speak to anyone.

"Jessica is the finest warrior I've ever met. She'll speak up soon, we'll know everything is fine, and then we can put this all behind us." Cuttlefish said.

"Gramps… I don't think you should let your comfort toward Jessica blind you here. She was right by Tartar for who knows how long and yet Tartar is still alive. I don't see any reason she'd stay undercover that long without action." Marie stated.

"Well, she's smart. I'm sure there's a good reason."

"Or maybe she's still brainwashed." Bridgett interjected. Everyone looked at her. "Remember last time we saw her? She got partially sanitized by Tartar. She completely lost her free will. What if… What if I didn't completely free her of the sanitization?"

"I never even thought of that. But Eight's right, there's a chance knocking her out didn't completely save her, but I'd need an MRI scan to see for sure." Marina said.

"She has free will now though." Cuttlefish said.

"Yeah, but she's also been making some questionable decisions in favor of Tartar. Maybe she's only half-infected. For the time being, I don't think we can trust her."

Bridgett remembered the beatdown she gave on her as the Executioner. "…Neither do I."

"Can we do an MRI?" Marie asked.

"Not here. I could build a machine, but I'd need better materials to work with." Marina replied.

Sheldon leaped up onto the table. "Just saying, I could help with that. You and I, we're like the technology siblings."

"Get off my table." Marina half-yelled.

Sheldon instantly got offended. "Hey, woman, I'm Agent 5 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon! I don't see you wearing any agent badge! So show some respect!"

"I don't see one on you either."

"That's because… it's invisible."

Marie sighed. "Sheldon, there's no such thing as an agent badge. The Splatoon is a secret agency, why would we need badges?"

"That's exactly why they're invisible!"

"As Agent 1 and leader of the New Squidbeak Splatoon I say we ban Sheldon from the Splatoon forever!" Callie said, mocking a male voice. "Sheldon, you're fired."

Sheldon frowned. "W-what?"

Marie grunted. "Sheldon, you're not fired. Callie you're not the leader. Gramps is."

"So? Last time I checked, you were the leader, which makes no sense at all because you're Agent 2 and I'm Agent 1. Also, out of the two of us, who's slept with the most guys? Me! I'm the leader."

"That doesn't…. that doesn't make you leader…"

"Too bad no one is the leader because there isn't really a Splatoon anymore." Cuttlefish remarked.

"Cuttlefish… I told you to stay positive." Marina sighed.

"I'm not being negative, I'm saying there genuinely isn't a Splatoon anymore. I mean, the Splatoon was created to protect people, but… there's nothing to protect."

"Well we do have one mission. Taking down Tartar once and for all and avenging Inkopolis."

"That's not what the Splatoon is for, sweetheart… I'm going to go talk to Jessica though. I have a nice long lecture to give that young lady!" Cuttlefish finished, walking out. Most of the room then cleared out along with him.

Pearl, for the first time in a little while, spoke out. "Well… he's right you know."

Marina, surprised, turned to face Pearl. "Pearlie… Are you uh…" She stopped, remembering the fight they had.

"I just have one thing to say to you, Marina. And I'll make it brief."

"I have things I wanna say too."

"Well save them for never. Make no mistake, we're not friends."

Marina looked down.

"I just needed to tell you I'm leaving."

"What? Why?"

"I can't live with you like this. Not with Bridgett here."

Marina, emotional as she was, was already crying again. "Pearlie, what's your problem with us? We didn't do anything to you!"

"When I first found out you were Octarian, I felt lied to. You know that? I'd been your best friend for a good couple years and we promised each other we'd never tell each other lies. Yet you never had the guts to tell me. When I did find out, I tried to convince myself you were alright, but… When I saw what Tartar did to Inkopolis, I realized who you really are."

"Pearl, I told you… We're not like Octavio, and we're not like Tartar."

"It doesn't matter. Every time I look at you, I see the species who caused war and destroyed my home."

"Tartar isn't Octarian!"

"What's the difference? He had an army of them." Regret flashed in her eyes. "…Goodbye, Marina." She began to walk past her back to her room.

"Pearl, I…. I miss us."

Pearl stopped and lingered.

"I miss Off the Hook." Marina said with a tearful smile, hoping to get through to her again. "I just… I just want those days back, more than anything. You're still my best friend in my eyes, and you always will be, no matter what you think of me. It was you who helped me into Inkling culture and I could never forget that."

"...I miss Off the Hook too. But it's never coming back. We both need to accept that." Pearl entered her room and shut the door.

Marina was once again left alone to treat her panic attacks by herself. She wasn't alone, however, as Callie and Marie were watching from the hall the whole time.

"Damn. Down falls Off the Hook." Callie whispered.

"I'm just glad we don't have any Squid Sisters fights like that. Squid Sisters are together forever." Marie whispered back.

"...Unless I get brainwashed by sunglasses again."

"You wouldn't dare."

"And yet I would."

Callie and Marie went to their room, which they shared with Cap'n Cuttlefish now due to the limited amount of rooms (Dylan shared a room with Bridgett and Sheldon shared a room with Marina as well. Pearl remained the lucky holder of her own room). To their surprise however, Bridgett was already in there, snooping through their stuff. "Bridgett?"

Bridgett jumped up. "Oh, uh… Hey."

"What are you doing?" Callie said.

"It's just… uh… I…" Bridgett stuttered.

Marie gave her a slightly threatening glance.

"It's just…" Bridgett stood up and walked over to them, attempting to flatter them. "It's just… I'm a… big…. I'm a… fan… of… I mean…. I'm a…."

Marie caught on to what she was saying. "Hey, girl, it's cool." She shook her hand. "I love meeting fans. Even in post-apocalypse bunkers."

Callie then shook her hand as well. "Hey! I'm Callie! I'm the cooler one! She's the boring one."

Marie rolled her eyes with a grin.

Bridgett began to feel more comfortable with herself. "Yeah, it's just… Your music literally changed my life, and uh… I'm your biggest fan." Bridgett suddenly squeaked with a big grin.

Marie gave a slightly confused yet amused look. "Glad to hear it!"

"I'm Agent 1, she's Agent 2. I have higher authority than her." Callie continued.

Bridgett let go of their hands. "Well, I'm gonna… I'm just gonna go…" She said as she slipped away to her own room.

"She seems nice for an Octoling." Marie muttered. "Why can't all Octarians be like her and Marina? It'd have made our lives back in the day so much easier."

* * *

Cap'n Cuttlefish had been sitting at Jessica's interrogation table for a little while now, but Jessica still hadn't said much. Suddenly, however, she spoke.

"...I will admit I've missed you." Jessica said.

Cuttlefish smiled, even though it wasn't visible through his thick beard. "I've missed you too. "

"I'm guessing the Squid Sisters are Agents 1 and 2."

"Yeah."

"Makes sense. I've been wondering how they got in here. …I remember when they used to do the news when I first became Agent 3." She started to smile. "I was just a stupid kid back then. I had just barely unlocked my humanoid form." She then chuckled. "I only became Agent 3 because I followed you through a shady storm drain.."

Cuttlefish chuckled back. "Those were the days. And then over the next couple years you became the finest warrior I'd ever met. I can't describe how proud of you I am."

"I always felt like you were a grandfather to me." Jessica dropped her smile. "Listen… There's stuff I need to tell you…."

Cuttlefish leaned in, 'finally' echoing through his old head. "I'm listening, young lady."

Jessica sighed and looked down. "…You're not safe."

"...What…?" Cuttlefish replied, his smile now fading as well. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I need you to leave. As soon as possible. You're the only person here I care about and I'm not gonna let you get hurt for the path I've chosen."

Cuttlefish stood up. "What did you do?"

"...Check my left pocket. You'll see."

Cuttlefish walked over and reached in, pulling out a small metal disc with a blinking light. "…What is this? What is this!?"

Jessica began to cry. "…I'm so sorry."

Suddenly, the alarm once again sounded. Cuttlefish's eyes went wide. "No…" She ran out to the dining room, where everyone else but Pearl was gathering.

"This stupid alarm has been going off a lot lately!" Marina yelled. "I'm sick and tired of it!" She noticed the small disc Cuttlefish was holding. "…What's that?"

Cuttlefish only returned a concerned glare.

"That's a tracker!" Marie yelled.

"What?" Marina returned, checking the security footage on the monitor. "…Oh no…"

Commander Tartar and an small army of Stalkers were outside the bunker.


	8. Rip Entry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is forced to team up and fight for their lives in an encounter with Tartar.

Commander Tartar and his minions stood outside the metal door that led to the elevator, which of course led down to Cuttlefish Bunker. The cement and metal building that surrounded the elevator was small and stuck out of a small hill, but was hard to penetrate.

Tartar, with his new arm, attempting to pry the doors open, but did not succeed in opening it. He went to the keypad by the side, realizing it wasn't going to be easy getting in. He punched the keypad, breaking it, sparks flying out. He turned to his small army of about 10 stalkers. "Call in the Octoseeker."

One of the Stalkers spoke into his headpiece which stuck out of his ear, his voice distorted and of an unrecognizable language compared to the Inklings and Octarians. After a minute, a sanitized Octoseeker flew in, waiting above the area for instructions.

"Open this door! Use all your strength!" Tartar yelled to it.

The Octoseeker swung its massive body in a nodding notion, beginning to slam down on the building.

* * *

The entire bunker shook like in an earthquake when the Octoseeker slammed down. Pearl finally exited her room to see what all the noise was about, looking around the bunker.

"It didn't breach!" Marina yelled above the alarm, looking at the security camera.

"How long do we have before it does breach?" Marie asked nervously.

Marina did some quick calculations in her head. "Not long if they keep ramming it with that thing" She said as the bunker shook again.

"What are we gonna do?" Dylan asked.

"...If we untie Jessica, maybe she can fight them off…" Cuttlefish said, grasping his cane with both hands.

"Gramps…. Jessica purposefully led them here. She's not our ally right now." Marie sighed.

"No. She wouldn't betray us like that. There's something we don't know."

Callie had a distraught look on her face. "Here I thought Jessica was one of the good guys. I can't believe she'd help Tartar like this..."

"We honestly can't let them in, Tartar will find my files on the Deepsea Metro and on us in general." Marina did some more calculations in her head. "…Luckily, this bunker is rigged with explosives, so we can self destruct this bunker and get out of here."

"How?" Multiple people said at once.

"...We have this old Off the Hook helicopter in the garage, but… it got kinda wrecked in the NILS statue attack. Sheldon? Can you help me repair it?"

"Uh… sure." Sheldon said, having been asked so politely by arguably the hottest girl in the bunker. "Just tell me what I need to do. How long will it take?"

"If we only fix what absolutely needs to be fixed we can do it in like 20 minutes."

The group then grumbled. "We don't have time. They're going to break in soon." Dylan sighed.

"This is gonna be cutting it close anyway. We may need someone to hold off Tartar until I can finish the helicopter, but just know I don't think we can actually defeat him."

"Callie and I can hold him off." Marie said. "We may be pop stars, but we know some combat."

"You know I can too. I fought my way out of the metro." Bridgett interjected.

Dylan stood up. "I may be rusty and a teeny bit injured, but, count me in."

"Count me in as well." Everyone in the bunker turned to see Pearl was the one who said this. "You need all the help you can get against that machine."

Marina smiled just a little bit after hearing her not mad, but it was short lived.

"Oh!" Sheldon said, suddenly pulling out a charger and handing it to Marie. "This is for you."

Marie accepted the charger from him, which looked identical to the previous charger that Sheldon destroyed. "Wow… Thanks, Agent 5. It's the… same exact thing." She said as she noticed it was basically an exact replica.

Sheldon did a salute. "No problemo!"

"You still owe me a latte though." She muttered under her breath.

Marina looked around at everyone. "Alright. Let's go, Sheldon. We neither have a lot of time or a lot of resources so we'd better hurry."

As Marina and Sheldon began to walk away, everyone else stayed in the dining room, Marie staring among them. "Alright guys, pack your things, and suit up. We may just end up fighting for our lives. Gramps, can you make sure this Bunker is set to self destruct in around half an hour?"

Cuttlefish nodded, going to the keyboard by the monitors. "Sure thing." He stared at it. "Uh… where's the mouse again?"

Pearl sighed. "I'll do it for you, old man."

Marina and Sheldon went to a door that was by the elevator door. She opened it, and they walked up a set a stairs leading to a medium-sized garage with the broken down Off the Hook helicopter.

"What happened to this thing?" Sheldon asked.

"All the ink from the NILS statue jammed it up. I was barely able to pilot it here." Marina said, grabbing a tool box from the side of the room. "Like I said, we don't have any resources to bring it back to its prime so we'll just fix up the important stuff like the engine. The only reason this isn't already repaired is because once we use it after it's fixed, it'll quickly be useless again, so…"

"How do you even know how to do all this? Aren't you a popstar?"

"I was basically a child prodigy." Marina said with a frown, never wanting to look back at her past. "I graduated when I was real young, then had a lot of practice with tinkering, so, I'm basically a technology expert. Also… yeah I'm pretty good with music too."

Meanwhile, everyone else in the bunker prepared for the worst, moving back and forth to pack their things and prepare to evacuate, while also preparing for combat with Tartar. Marie and Callie went through their own room that they shared with Gramps, and while they didn't have much to pack, Callie found something.

"Hey, Marie…" Callie said, holding up two Squid Sisters outfits, which she picked out of a box.

"What the… how'd those get here?" Marie set, grabbing her green one. She looked in the box, which had the rest of the attire, including their hats and shoes.

"I'm guessing Gramps has a replica of them. …For some reason."

Marie held hers to her chest. "Man, this brings back memories."

"I know it's not armor… But wanna show Tartar some Squid Sisters action?" Callie said with a grin.

"...You wanna sing to Tartar?"

"What? No, I just wanna wear them. They look cool."

Marie returned the grin. "Let's go for it then"

Pearl sat in her own room, putting on her rapper outfit, and preparing her dualies. She pulled out a picture of her and Marina, a copy of the same picture Marina tore in half, and stared at it for a good while before silently folding it and putting it in her pocket.

Bridgett and Dylan sat in Bridgett's room, where Dylan put on his complete Hero Outfit, with the glowing headphones and all.

Bridgett donned the leather crop top she wore during her time in the Deepsea Metro, not because she liked it, rather because of the armor properties it had. She prepared her Octoshot, and Dylan prepared his updated Hero Shot.

"You ready to face combat?" Bridgett asked him.

"I mean… not really but if duty calls, duty calls." Dylan responded.

They smiled at each other.

* * *

After everyone's bags were packed, they quickly placed them in the garage. While Cuttlefish stayed in the garage to watch Marina and Sheldon work, everyone else stood guard by the elevator door with their weapons. They had moved the table to the side of the room to make space for combat.

Dylan looked over to notice Marie and Callie were wearing their full Squid Sisters outfits. "What… Why are you wearing those?"

"I mean… we didn't exactly have armor." Callie defended herself.

"Oh shit! I forgot!" Marie suddenly yelled. "I'm not saying untie her, but someone needs to get Jessica to the helicopter. We're not leaving her behind"

Bridgett sighed. "…I'll do it."

"Hurry!" Marie told her one last time and Bridgett walked down the hall to the interrogation room.

They heard the distant sound of the bunker entrance finally smashing open. "This is it." Callie thought aloud. "…It was nice knowing you all…"

"Shut up, Callie, we can do this." Marie replied as everyone pointed their weapons at the door to the elevator. They heard the sounds of Stalker moans, coming from the elevator, and then banging on the door.

Bridgett heard this and rushed into her destination, where she found Jessica was crying to herself.

"We need to move." Bridgett said, quickly removing the duct tape that kept Jessica tied to the chair. "Get up."

Jessica stood up silently. "Do you ever, just… betray the people you love? I mean, you're an Octarian, I'm sure you have experience with that."

"We really don't have time. We need to move!" Bridgett grabbed her arm and attempted to walk her out, but she refused to budge. "…Come on!"

"I just want to make sure there's no hard feelings on Cuttlefish. You don't understand what he means to me."

Bridgett began to forcefully shove her. "If you really cared about him you wouldn't have called Tartar here."

"I just hope he can understand. Promise me that no matter what happens, you'll protect him with your life."

Bridgett stopped. "What are you talkin-"

Suddenly, Jessica headbutted her, causing her to lose her grip and quickly step backward, grabbing her forehead. Jessica forcefully moved her hands apart, ripping the duct tape, before proceeding to grab Bridgett by the back of the head and forcefully slam her headfirst into the table. Bridgett collapsed to the ground unconscious, as Jessica reached down to grab her Octoshot, shooting her a few times until she was splatted.

Dylan, who heard this from the other room, dropped his guard to rush in and check what happened. "Bridgett?" As he entered though, he was suddenly grabbed by Jessica in a chokehold, who slammed him into the wall and held him there.

"Guh! Jessica!" Dylan gasped as he gurgled out choking noises.

"I've gotta say, I mostly don't care but at the same time I really don't like being replaced." Jessica muttered.

Dylan, now unable to speak, kicked Jessica in the crotch, forcing her to drop her grip. Dylan gasped for air before he attempted to take the Octoshot from her, but Jessica quickly retaliated by kicking him in the stomach. He crash landed on the side of the table, knocking it over, leaving him on the ground. Still conscious, he rolled over in pain, holding his stomach, unable to do anything as he watched Jessica leave the room.

Callie, Marie, and Pearl heard the crash from the dining room. "What on earth is happening?" Marie muttered. The stalkers were still loudly banging on the door, unable to break through.

"Did Jessica escape?" Callie said.

Jessica entered the room, still holding Bridgett's Octoshot. She stopped when she saw them and nodded. "…Agent 1. Agent 2. It's nice to meet you in person."

"Jessica? Where are Dylan and Bridgett?" Marie asked with a confused look.

Jessica looked at the countdown on the monitor to the self destruct. 15 minutes remained. "…This is honestly a pretty nice bunker." She looked down from the monitor to see the tracker she had on the table. She picked it up and put it back in her pocket. "Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you unless I have to."

"Jessica, what did you do?"

Suddenly, the door finally barged open. With a high pitched scream, three Stalkers entered, with more waiting in the back. Fortunately for now, Tartar was yet to be seen. Callie, Marie, and Pearl immediately took their attention off Jessica and began firing at them.

The Stalkers moved quickly, running at them and attempting to cut them with their spears, which the three managed to dodge and counter.

Jessica leaped over one, knocking him in the back of the head, spinning him around, and taking his spear. She then swiftly decapitated him.

More Stalkers began to run in. Callie and Marie were back to back, circling around each other and firing around the room, Marie managing to land headshots with her charger. Pearl jumped on top of the table shooting around the room with her dualies, screaming all the way through.

Thanks to the efforts of Jessica and the others, the stalkers died quickly, melting into green goo as their bodies gave up living. Everyone took a moment to catch their breath, when suddenly Marie turned her charger on Jessica.

"Where's Dylan and Bridgett?"

Jessica sighed. "They're alive. Splatted, but alive."

"Why'd you splat them?"

"They were in my way."

"Whose side are you on? You're fighting both our allies and Tartar's minions?"

"...I don't know whose side I'm on. "

"Well make up your mind because I'm starting to have second thoughts on letting you come with us."

Marie prepared to squeeze the trigger, and Jessica, upon seeing this, grabbed the charger straight out of her hands and knocking her in the head with it. Marie grabbed her forehead with an "Ow!", stepping backward and tripping, falling to her butt.

"That's my cousin you're hitting, asshole!" Callie yelled, walking toward her, but Jessica took Marie's charger and shot directly at her, instantly splatting her. She then briefly shot Marie, splatting her as well. She looked at Pearl with a threatening glare, challenging her to a fight.

Pearl twirled her dualies on her fingers, grinning a little bit. "You wanna fight me? Because I wouldn't wanna fight me."

Jessica raised Marie's charger at her, firing it, but Pearl leaped off the table and dodged as she returned fire. Unleashing her battle cry, she ran around her, dodge rolling all of Jessica's attempted shots. Jessica groaned an threw an autobomb.

"No one fights and rap queen and escapes alive!" Pearl screamed with an over-the-top voice, before she accidentally dodge rolled into a wall, allowing Jessica to headshot and splat her.

Everyone's bodies slowly remanifested, although they remained unconscious. Jessica looking around the room, staring at them, before looking back up at the timer on the monitor. 10 minutes remained.

"Jessica…" She heard a voice say behind him. She turned around to see Cuttlefish, standing by the door leading to the garage. "What happened?"

"Cuttlefish…" She muttered, dropping the charger to Marie's side.

Cuttlefish wobbled over to her. "…What did you do?"

Jessica began to lightly cry again. "…I don't know what to do. I feel so lost."

"Hey, I'm here. But I can't help you if you won't tell me what's going on." He tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she squirmed away.

"Don't touch me. I'm a killer. I-I-I killed people, and I-I…" She crouched down into a ball position. "I let you down!"

Cuttlefish had a concerned look on his face. "…Jessica…" Suddenly, he splatted, exploding all over the room. Jessica looked up to see what happened, seeing Tartar standing by the elevator room with her Hero Shot.

"Well, well, well… Jessica Murdock."

Jessica stood up. "Tartar… You came…"

Tartar slithered up to her, raising his body to tower above Jessica. "I came with good timing. I've been dying to kill you. I just don't know what you're doing here, I came here to find another cockroach, but I guess I can kill two birds with one stone."

Jessica pulled the tracker from her pocket. "It's me you're looking for. I led you here."

" _You're_  the Executioner?" Tartar said angrily. "You've been right under my nose all this time?"

Jessica fell to her knees, not taking her eyes off Tartar. "…I've been conflicted for so long. Ever since the NILS statue. I've tried to convince myself you're the enemy but…"

"My sanitization never truly wore off, did it?"

Jessica nodded. "I realize my one purpose now. I live to serve you… Commander."

Tartar scratched his chin with his new arm. "…Well this changes things. I am a pretty forgiving machine after all. Although I don't know if I want a disgusting Inkling in my army…"

"Either take me back… or kill me. " Jessica said with finality in her voice.

"But you do seem loyal…" He took a moment to think. "Very well, cockroach. I will let you come with me, and I will complete the sanitization process. How does that sound, Executioner?"

Jessica showed regret and hesitation in her eyes, but stood up. "I'm down for that. But there's one condition."

"Oh?"

"You spare the lives of my friends. ESPECIALLY Cuttlefish."

"Would these friends you speak of happen to include number 10,008?"

"...Yes."

"Well that's certainly demanding, but… I'll have to think about it."

"If Cuttlefish dies… for any reason… you and I are done. But for now I dedicate myself to you and you only."

"Well then. I say welcome back, Executioner." He extended his hand.

Jessica stared at it for a few seconds, before grabbing it.

The door to the garage suddenly slammed open, Marina rushing in. "The helicopter's finished!" She looked at the scene. "What the… Jessica?"

Tartar and Jessica looked at her, Tartar smiling menacingly. "That's our cue." Hand in hand with Jessica, they rushed out.

Marina, horrified at what she witnessed, looked around the room. She looked at the timer to see only 4 minutes remained. "SHELDON! HELP!" She called.

Sheldon rushed down, also witnessing the destruction around them. "Holy shit…"

"Help me carry them to the helicopter!"

As fast as they could, they picked them up bridal style and carried them up the stairs to the helicopter. Setting them each in the helicopter, Marina went to the driver seat and sat down, powering up the helicopter and taking off. The roof above the garage opened up , revealing daylight, as they flew out.

Flying high above the bunker entrance, they looked down to see that Tartar and Jessica had left as well. "….I can't believe Jessica turned on us like this…" Marina said with a frown.

"You must've been right about the sanitization thing… This was a really bad way to meet her." Sheldon sighed.

They continued to look down as a fiery explosion launched out of the entrance doors and the garage, and the hill erupted into flames and collapsed in on itself.

With Cuttlefish Bunker now gone, Marina piloted the helicopter away.


	9. Return to the Deepsea Metro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After taking a hard hit, the team evacuates back to the Deepsea Metro, and tensions between Pearl and Marina reach an all-time high.

The NILS statue sat still in a state of decay, in the same exact position where Tartar left it. Abandoned and silent, any signs of life that once existed here were now gone.

As the sun was setting, the sound of helicopter blades could be heard approaching the statue, although no one was around to hear them. The Off the Hook helicopter slowly descending to it, entering through the open eye.

"This place looks deserted. Thankfully." Marina said, as she continued to pilot the helicopter.

"...What are we doing here?" Sheldon asked with a concerned stare.

Marina sighed. "If you know of a better place we can go, I'm all ears."

While Marina and Sheldon sat in the front seats in the control room, everyone else was now awake on the metal floor in the main area of the helicopter. Because of the helicopter's strange design, there were no walls to their sides, and it still looked broken down overall.

Bridgett looked around, knowing very very well where they were. Pearl and Cuttlefish also stared in disbelief.

Marina landed the helicopter in the room that the open eye immediately led to, with random papers hung all over the walls. Everyone exited the helicopter, and looked around the room.

"...What are we doing back here?" Bridgett asked as well.

Marina closed the door. "We're not staying here. We're going to navigate the statue and go all the way down to the subway. We should be safe down there."

Bridgett stepped backward and looked down in despair. She never truly escaped that place.

* * *

Hours passed. The group slowly made their way through the many abandoned sections of the statue's insides, starting from the Spinal Phase and then working all the way down to the Coccyx Phase.

Eventually, they ducked through a hole and, one by one, fell into Central Station through the hole that Jessica once left. Bridgett looked around, seeing that the smashed blender remains were still there.

The place was completely unaffected by the NILS statue attack due to being underground, looking just as it did when they left it.

"...So this is what this place looks like in person." Marina sighed, looking around at the collapsed lights. "Looks even more depressing than it did on screen."

Pearl walked up to Marina. "What the hell?"

Marina looked at her. "What?"

"No one agreed on this. You didn't even let us talk this over!"

"I didn't hear you whining while we were in the statue."

"Well if you didn't waste our precious remaining helicopter life getting us here…"

Marina walked closer to her angrily. "Where else were we gonna go? Huh? You guys were unconscious, Jessica is gone again, Inkopolis is a dead area that isn't safe, where else do you think we would've gone?"

"Marina…" Marie said. "No one is saying you made a bad move but you could've at least let us have a say…"

"What say? You guys were unconscious! The helicopter only had so much power, I had to choose somewhere quickly. Also…" She ducked down, putting down her duffle bag. "I've told you guys about the mysterious readings down here, and… I wanted to look into them."

"So you brought us down here? This is a SUBWAY, Marina! What are you supposed to find down here?"

"Try energy readings that distort space-time."

"First of all, that sounds made up. Second, what does that even have to do anything? We're running for our lives and we're in a subway for the sake of tracking some fictional readings?"

"These readings could lead to finding out more about Tartar."

"Oh well, here we are, probably trapped underground with no food, in the middle of a shady subway that was directly linked to Tartar himself, all because you had to be the smart one!"

Marina stood back up and got into Pearl's face. "Well someone has to be the smart one here, especially with half-brained Inklings like you who always smell like alcohol!"

Pearl shoved her back. "Well at least I don't dress half naked in a bra all the time like a slutty Octoling!"

Marina immediately grabbed Pearl by the throat and started to choke her, pushing her back. "THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!?"

Everyone else immediately tried to pull them back. Marie got in between them, Callie pulled back Pearl, and Dylan pulled back Marina. Marina attempted to escape Dylan's grasp to attack Pearl again, punching the air, but didn't succeed.

"YOU VIOLENT PYSCHOPATH! KILL YOURSELF!" Pearl screamed, thrashing against Callie.

"I WILL RIGHT AFTER I RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!" Marina was also thrashing against Dylan.

"CALM DOWN, NOW!" Marie yelled above everyone. "We shouldn't be fighting!"

"Dag nabbit, young ladies! What has gotten into you?" Cuttlefish also yelled.

"Come on, you guys! You're being ridiculous! We all know I'm the real slut here!" Callie admitted.

Bridgett silently sat down and turned away, hiding her tears.

Suddenly, a train pulled up to the station, immediately calming down the situation. When both Marina and Pearl stopped thrashing, Dylan and Callie let go of them.

The train came to a slow stop, and the door opened, a small blue sea cucumber slowly slithering out.

"C. Q. Cumber! It's so good to see you!"

Cumber rose the upper half of his body to the air. "Greetings! It's good to see you again too." He dropped back to the ground.

"...Who's this?" Callie asked.

"I am the humble conductor of the Deepsea Metro, C. Q. Cumber. I work directly for the Kamabo Corporation."

"This guy helped us pass all the tests and get the four thangs!" Cuttlefish said enthusiastically. "What a real help!"

Bridgett stood up, wiped the tears from her face, and stared at him, thinking to herself.

"Ah yes. I see many new faces here as well. I have heard about the great tragedy that has befallen the service, I am truly sorry. Will you be riding with us today?"

"No, but… we were hoping we could stay around here. You know… to live." Marina said.

"Oh… Well… We can't allow that. We own a business here, we ask that you either ride with us or get lost."

Marina began to argue with him, but Bridgett wasn't listening. She went over to the captain. "Cuttlefish…" She said, grabbing her arm and moving him slightly away from the group. "I'm pretty sure that guy is working for Tartar."

"Wait, what? He's just a conductor."

"He led us straight to the tests, and the thangs. Remember that the thangs were a setup?"

"Oh…"

"And he just admitted he works directly for the Kamabo Corporation. Kamabo was run by Tartar."

"Oh my god, you're right." Cuttlefish said, walking back to the group. "Grab that sea slug!"

* * *

Dylan held Cumber tightly in his hands, who was struggling to escape.

"What's the meaning of this? Put me down!" Cumber screamed.

"No. We have some questions we'd like to ask you." Bridgett said with a threatening tone, holding Dylan's Hero Shot.

"I-I promise I didn't do anything. Please don't kill me…"

"Shut up!" Bridgett yelled. "Do you work for Tartar?"

"...Who?"

"The telephone, fool! Do you work for the telephone?" She pointed her weapon at him.

"...Yes! He's a nice guy!"

"Well that 'nice guy' destroyed Inkopolis. Did you know about the blender?"

Cumber didn't respond.

"Squeeze him."

Dylan began to squeeze him, his body expanding outward a bit like a balloon. "OOOOW! YES! YES I KNOW ABOUT THE BLENDER!" Dylan lightened his grip.

"So you know about the ultimate DNA he spoke about?"

He once again didn't respond.

Bridgett sighed. "Squeeze him."

"Wait! Yes! I knew about it all! I knew about the experiments, about his sludge, about the statue, his plan, the sanitized Octarians, all of it! I confess! I'm a monster! Just please don't kill me! I'll do anything!"

"What experiments?"

"He… He tortured all those life forms, he performed surgeries on them! He was trying to figure out the formula to sanitize!"

Marina stepped up. "So you kidnapped and enslaved Octarians…"

"What? They were never kidnapped…"

Marina looked at him curiously. "Then how'd you get them?"

"They signed up for it! It was all a big contract under him and Octavio!"

Marina looked at Bridgett in surprise, and then back at him. "…You're saying that Octavio is related to this?"

"Yes… The Kamabo Corporation is a cover for the Octarians, the telephone was just my boss."

"I knew it!" Marie yelled.

"...Alright. We just have one more question, slug." Marina said. "What's with the energy readings that distort spacetime?"

"Oh… From Tartar Labs… They were trying to build a machine…"

"What machine?"

"It was just some really strange experiments! But it's the same laboratory where they do the Sanitization! That's all I know, I swear!"

"Alright… We've heard enough. Put him down." Bridgett sighed. Dylan obeyed.

"Really? You're letting me go?"

"No." Bridgett kicked him like a football, sending him flying with a scream to the lockers by the wall. She then walked over, opened a locker, and shoved him in, closing the door.

"Hey! Let me out of hereee! Please! I mean no harm!" Cumber could be heard screaming from inside.

"What's that? Sorry I couldn't hear you over your 'test failed'!" Bridgett screamed back as she walked back to the group. "…That felt kinda good."

"You seem a lot more… badass." Callie said with a smirk.

"Well it's just… I hated that guy."

* * *

**Tartar Labs**

Tartar Labs was a massive underwater Octarian facility, floating near the surface far from Inkopolis. A submarine swam toward it, entering the facility.

The entrance locking behind the submarine, the room drained all of the water, grounding the submarine, and another entrance in front of it opened up. The door to the submarine opened, with Tartar and Jessica stepping out.

"Welcome to Tartar Labs." Tartar said, escorting her through the doors. "Do you want the grand tour?"

"No." Jessica said.

"Suit yourself."

"If I was your second in command as the Executioner, why have I never been here?"

"This is a very… private facility. I wasn't sure I wanted even you to be in here." Tartar said. They walked down a hallway, and through windows, Jessica could see graphic experiments being done on Octarians, who seemed to be in the process of being sanitized. How the Octarians survived the NILS statue was beyond her.

"I intend on completing your sanitization in the next few days." Tartar told her as they continued walking. "But first, there's something I wanna show you."

They moved to a locked metal door, where Tartar pressed a code into a wall panel. The door slid open, and the two entered. It was a closet full of weapons, hung on the walls. They were the types of weapons that could previously be purchased in Inkopolis stores for turf war. But that's not what they were there for.

Toward the back, there was a tall closet inside the wall with a small door blocking it. Tartar pressed another code into another keypad and it opened. Jessica leaned in toward it.

Inside was an upgraded Executioner armor, with a more menacing looking mask. By it were multiple spears and special looking weapons.

"After you betrayed me I decided I'd need a new Executioner, so I quickly had this prepared. This belongs to you."

Jessica rubbed her fingers down it. "I love it."

"Wearing this armor is a very special privilege." Tartar said, standing tall and proud above Jessica. "If you betray me again while you wear this armor, I will make sure you feel pain like no life form I've experimented on has felt before. Are we understood?"

"...Yes."

"Very well then, Executioner. I'll leave you to it." Tartar walked out.

Jessica pulled out the mask and stared at it, a smile spreading across her face. She felt home again.


	10. Tartar Labs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group hunts down Tartar in his own base of operations.

**Two Weeks Later**

Several dummy balloons sat in front of her, not specifically lined up, but spread throughout the large room. A cd player radio sat in the corner, playing loud heavy metal music, including Metalopod, from Squid Squad. She remembered when music like this used to play over speakers during Turf War. Those were the days.

Jessica prepared her special gun, a black shooter style weapon called the Death Shot. In preparation, she closed her eyes and took multiple deep breaths.

Suddenly and all at once, her eyes opened and she launched forward. Barely aiming, she swiftly fired and rolled around the room, quickly popping every single balloon one by one. Although the balloons quickly respawned, they didn't remain for long as Jessica popped them again. She carried this on for a few minutes without pause unless she needed to refill some ink.

Eventually, she pulled a final move and performed a splashdown in the center of the room, popping most of the balloons at once. Only then did she relax.

Catching her breath, she slowly looked around the room at all the ink she spread onto the ground. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned off the radio. Although she didn't question Tartar's design choices, this was a bit of a flawed weapon.

She opened it up just a bit to examine it, before closing it again, setting it down. She sighed. Overall, however, working out felt really good.

Suddenly, however, the alarm began to buzz and flash, the entire facility going into a fast strobe light effect. The speaker buzzed to life, Tartar's voice ringing out through the halls.

_"We have incoming intruders! I command all available Octarians and Stalkers to set up their defenses!"_

Jessica stopped what she was doing, leaving the room and going down some halls. She went into the closet full of weapons, where some stalkers were already meeting, and then entered the smaller closet inside, opening it.

As the Executioner mask stared back at her, she smiled, ready for combat.

* * *

"Um… I'd judge from the strobe lights that they know we're here." Sheldon said.

Everyone sat in a submarine, which Marina managed to build from materials they found in the metro over the past couple weeks. They were quite lucky with their findings, having also found lots of food materials in the staff kitchens, no longer having to concern about limited food. Everyone but Cuttlefish had their own weapons, Callie and Marie were once again wearing their Squid Sisters outfits, and Pearl was once again wearing her rapper outfit.

Marina, who was piloting the submarine, sighed. "Well, that's why we came prepared. It's a miracle Jessica kept her tracker and left it on…"

"...What if their defenses are too much for us to handle?" Dylan said with concern.

"Well… What do we have to lose anyway?"

The submarine stopped by the entrance, which was sealed shut. However, they came prepared for that too. From the bottom of the submarine, a missile appeared, swimming to the big metal doors. Upon contact, it exploded in a fiery show, the doors falling off and apart.

"I can't believe you built this shit in 2 weeks." Callie said.

"Yeah, well, I'm good like that." Marina said with a smile, as she piloted it into the facility and powered it down. She then turned to look at Sheldon. "I had some help as well."

Everyone stood up, preparing their weapons like they were in the official military, as Cap'n Cuttlefish stood up to remind them of the orders.

"Alright, as a reminder. This is a search and rescue mission and an assault mission. Bridgett, you are tasked with finding Jessica, and, if she resists, defeat her. Marina and Sheldon, your job is to find the source of the readings and report back to us. Everyone else is tasked with finding Tartar. You will likely be met with Octarian forces, but I have faith Dylan and Bridgett will have no issues with them. Oh yeah… and watch Dylan's back because he may be a little nonflexible thanks to his injury."

The group nodded.

"Remember… Jessica is believed to be partially sanitized still. I believe with all my hearts that this is not her fault, and that she is still a good person. I ask all of you that you do not criticize her recent decisions until we understand them. Are we all clear?"

The group nodded again.

"Alright then. Roll out."

After the water inside drained, the submarine opened up, with everyone but Cuttlefish exiting, weapons high.

Marina planted a bomb by the drainer door, and everyone backed up waiting for it to explode. When it did, the doors were knocked open.

They were immediately attacked by Stalkers, but the Squid Sisters quickly exposed of them from a distance. "Wow… this is pretty fun. I'm having fun." Callie said with a smirk.

They pressed forward, quickly noticing multiple hallways to venture through.

"Alright I think this is where we split up." Marie ordered. She pulled up a phone with a map Marina hacked from the facility, which had Jessica's live location thanks to her tracker. "Bridgett, head to the right to Jessica's general direction. Marina and Sheldon, head straight forward to the center of the facility where the labs are. Dylan and Pearl, you guys go left to the bedrooms area and see if you can find Tartar down there. Callie and I will go down the other halls and circle the perimeter. Any questions?"

"Yeah… uh…" Callie said, raising her hand. Marie awaited what she was gonna say, but she only kept her hand in the air.

"You don't have to keep it raised…"

"Oh? Whatever. Yeah, uh, what if I'm a pussy and I don't wanna do this?" Callie said with a nervous smile. "I mean I know there isn't really a city anymore, and everyone is dead, and our lives suck, but in my eyes I still have a lot to live for, and… I found these crazy sex toys in one of the metro lockers this morning and I really wanted to-"

Marie sighed. "Anyone else? … No? Good, I agree. Just go." She said, grabbing Callie's arm and leading her down the hall she assigned. Everyone else also went down their assigned halls.

"Ok but what if I told you I have epilepsy and that these strobe lights are putting me at risk?" Callie argued.

"You don't have epilepsy, Callie, shut up."

* * *

Marina pulled out her own copy of the map on her phone. "The labs are down this way." She said as she put the phone back. "I'm not gonna lie… I'm really, really nervous…"

"Don't worry." Sheldon said confidently, hopping onto her shoulder. "I'll protect you."

Marina was surprised and confused, but didn't stop walking. "…What are you doing?"

"I'm protecting you."

"Sorry but I don't give piggy back rides." Marina said, suddenly and harshly jolting her shoulder. Sheldon jumped off, a bit offended, straightening his hat.

"Well, geez, sorrrrrry I tried to be nice." Sheldon said with an added "hmph."

"Sheldon, I'm just gonna put this straight with you, but we're not exactly safe right now. Our lives could be on the line." Marina sighed.

Sheldon stopped a shuttered a little bit. "Well, when you put it like that…"

Marina sighed again, lightly tapping Sheldon with her foot. "Come on. We'll be fine. These halls seem to be pretty abandoned." She said with a reassuring smile, which quickly faded when she realized how suspicious that sounds. "We'll be fine…"

* * *

Dylan and Pearl were slowly sneaking down their assigned hallway, weapons pointed forward at all times. Dylan had their copy of the map on his phone.

"So, uh… What's your deal with Marina?" Dylan said, deciding to break the silence.

Pearl sighed and rolled her eyes. She hadn't been thinking about it for the past couple weeks, thinking about everything but Marina. "I don't know, I just… I just don't feel like I can trust her anymore. I mean, she tried to choke me…"

"What exactly happened between you two? Off the Hook used to be so tight."

"We really don't have to talk about it. I don't wanna think about that bitch right now."

Dylan, being such a big fan of Off the Hook, felt saddened to hear her say such a thing. "Copy that. Message received. I'm just saying though… I was a huge fan of your show, back when it was first starting. You guys have some amazing chemistry and you're obviously meant for each other, so… I think you guys should work it out, maybe?"

Pearl sighed again. "Well, I would, but Marina isn't who she says she is, or who she thinks she is. And as soon as this Tartar business is done, I'm out of here. So… I'll never have to see her again."

Before Dylan could digest this, he noticed in his map that they reached their location. "We're… here, I guess."

"I expected there'd be way more guards around this place."

"...Are they not here or something? Did they abandon ship?"

"Dammit. I was really hoping to shove my pinky up Tartar's nose."

"...This place is actually TOO deserted… And I strangely don't really feel safe right now…" Dylan sighed.

"How smart of you to be so defensive." A voice said from the ceiling.

Although it was kind of hard to see because of the strobe lights, they looked up to notice Tartar's face staring down at them. Like a spider, he climbed down the walls using his legs and fingers, slithering onto the floor. Both Dylan and Pearl raised their guns to him.

Tartar chuckled. "Relax. I'm not gonna kill you. I'm not gonna harm you, even."

"Oh, bullshit!" Pearl said with an evil smile. "I have several lessons I wanna teach you, bub! And I'm gonna make em nice and clear, one by one!"

"Oh I don't think you understand." Tartar said, shrugging. "One could say I made a deal with the devil."

"...What are you talking about?"

"I made a deal with the cockroach. I got her back as the Executioner, under the promise that I spare all of you."

Dylan put his gun to his face. "Oh yeah? I don't buy it. We're gonna find Jessica, we're gonna kill you, and we're walking out of here."

With a smile, Tartar grabbed his Hero Shot straight out of his hand and grabbed him by the chest, his entire hand wrapped around his body, before shoving him up against the wall.

"Guh! I REALLY don't like getting shoved up against things!"

"If I hadn't made the deal, you'd be gutted by now. I would drain the ink out of you like a vampire right now. I would feel your lifeless corpse liquefy and drizzle over my fingers. And then I'd take your Octoling friend, and I'd do the same exact thing to her but worse… With her, oooooh I just wanna RIP OUT HER ORGANS and look into her eyes as her fear and pain melts into nothing but lifeless pupils."

Dylan struggled against his hand, now a bit terrified for his life.

"But… There's just one major fault in my programming. I am very, very forgiving. I've only made one exception. Only one of your friends isn't walking out of here alive."

"Which friend?" Pearl commanded.

"It won't matter, the Executioner probably already has her…"

"WHICH FRIEND?" Pearl commanded again.

He chuckled. "The Octoling."

"I don't exactly trust Bridgett but I say she's too young for this shit. You're gonna have to go over my dead body to get to her…"

He laughed a bit harder. "Oh no, not that Octoling… The other one, she's…. She's a big, big problem."

Pearl instantly dropped her weapon, her eyes going wide. "Marina…"

"I convinced my Executioner why she needed to die, and she eventually agreed. You'll see soon enough why."

"Leave Marina alone!" Pearl yelled as she began to fire at her, but Tartar quickly slithered away. "DAMMIT!"

* * *

Bridgett was also wondering where all the minions were. The place was way too abandoned quiet for her to feel comfortable. Not that she was comfortable before.

She barely took her eyes off the map, and her weapon remained prepared to shoot anything that moves. She thought she might pass out from the tension.

According to her map, she was closing in on Jessica, but Jessica wasn't moving. To her assumption, this was gonna be a piece of cake.

Getting dangerously close to Jessica, she put away the map and walked even quieter, assuming the element of surprise. She walked into a closet, where some weapons were lined up against the walls. Only a few were missing. She looked back at the map. She was right on top of Jessica, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Scavenging the room for clues, she studied the smaller open closet inside the wall. It seemed completely empty, but then she saw it. Jessica's tracker was left sitting inside. Bridgett let out a sigh of frustration. "Dammit."

She decided she was gonna hunt down Jessica blindly. She put away the map, still armed with her weapon, slowly going down random hallways. "Come on, Jessica… where are you?" She whispered to herself.

She walked randomly through the halls for a little bit, until suddenly, something grabbed her by the mouth. She screamed, but the sound was muffled.

_"Shhhhhh…"_ A voice scrambler said into her ear.

Jessica, now in her full Executioner armor, used her fingers to plug Bridgett's nose along her already covered mouth. Bridgett struggled to breath, thrashing against her attacker, but Jessica was too strong.

_"Don't be afraid. I'm only knocking you out."_ Jessica whispered as she began to lay her down quietly. Bridgett was beginning to feel fuzzy in the head.  _"Bridgett, I'm so sorry for what I'm gonna do to your friend, but I promise you… In the end, everything will be fine. You will be spared. I know I don't really act nice to you, but you have a gift, and a bright future against the dark world Tartar has left us. No matter what happens to Marina, I know you can bounce back. Perhaps, one day, you can make Tartar pay for his mistakes directly, but you can't free me from him. I have faith in you, don't lose hope."_

The word "Marina" sent alarms in Bridgett's head, but she didn't have time to think it through. 'Whose side is Jessica on?' That was her last thought as she slowly lost consciousness.

* * *

Marina and Sheldon entered the main labs in the center of the facility. Machines and machine parts littered the floor around them, along with what disturbingly appeared to be disembodied Octarian limbs, including heads with their mouths wide open. Marina began to feel sick to her stomach.

"This place is gross…" Sheldon muttered.

"This is horrible." Marina said, nearly being brought to tears by the graphic mess of limbs before them. "Octarians aren't exactly nice, but, no life form deserves something like this." Marina stopped and knelt down to check the pulse of an Octarian body that still had all its limbs, but found nothing. "They're not even sanitized."

"Then… what do you think happened here?"

"I don't… I don't know. But it's fucked up." She checked more pulses as they began to see more complete bodies. "…I hope Tartar gets ripped apart limb by limb."

"Uhh… Marina… Could those light have anything to do with the readings you wanted to look into?" Sheldon said, pointing at another room to the side. It was kind of hard to tell because of the strobe lights, but some even brighter moving lights were coming from the room.

Marina stood up, walking toward the light. She entered the room, unaware that Sheldon suddenly collapsed behind her.

Jessica was hiding among the shadows, watching Marina's every move. Sheldon, unconscious on the floor, twitched from the effects of the dart she landed on him. Jessica silently prepared her spear.

Marina, who had entered the very large room, remained unaware that Sheldon wasn't following her, as she was too distracted by the beautiful machine in front of her. It was some kind of generator, which was constantly pumping some kind of energy. Multiple warning signs hung on the walls which she ignored. This machine was by far the most beautiful technology she had ever seen in her life, and although this was her first time seeing it, it somehow seemed familiar.

In fact, now that she thought about it, there was something about this whole facility that was giving her deja vu. This machine… was sparking something inside of her, like a vault that remained locked for years but was just now unlocked. As if she was brainwashed, she turned a lever, which powered the machine on to the lowest power level on a scale of 1-10, and stepped inside a little tube next to it. What was this machine?

The machine took a few seconds to warm up, and suddenly, a large bolt of electric light zapped the entire tube with her in it. She closed her eyes in fear, but nothing seemed to happen.

Confused, she stepped out of the tube. Whatever that bolt was, it seemed to have no affect on her… at least at first. Slowly, her heartbeat got louder and louder, until it sounded like it was coming straight from her head, and then all around her. In pain, she groaned and covered her ears, as the biggest headache she ever felt came alive.

The entire world around her was shaking and twitching. She started to see the world in two as her eyes went cross-eyed, and then her perception of color began to go negative. The greatest pain she ever felt attacked her all at once, as she fell to her knees with a scream.

"MAKE IT STOP!" She screamed, but it seemed that no one was around to hear it. Voices began to penetrate her head, and figures ran past her vision.

_"Let's start at the beginning."_ The voices echoed inside her head, over and over again.

"NO! MAKE IT STOP! AHHH!" As Marina began to feel like she would pass out, she suddenly returned to normality. Or what felt like normality.

"Let's start at the beginning." She heard the voice say again. She looked up, noticing she was no longer in the lab. She was in a classroom, an Octarian classroom. She stood up, an Octoling teacher right in front of her.

"Hello?" She asked the teacher. "Where am I?" She asked, but the teacher didn't seem to acknowledge her. "Hey! Where am I!?"

Suddenly, the teacher stepped forward, and phased right through her, as if she was a ghost. Marina immediately began to hyperventilate from the panic the situation was giving her, as she turned around to see the rest of the classroom. Several young elementary-level Octolings sat in small desks. "What the utteral fuck is happening!?" She screamed out where no one could her.

She walked around, studying the environment while trying to control her breath, until she saw her. The small child, who couldn't be older than 6, instantly reminded her of herself. It was young Marina.

* * *

Jessica snuck into the room Marina entered, spear ready to strike. She glared at the machine, which read above it in large words:  **"WARNING: WORK IN PROGRESS TIME MACHINE. DO NOT TOUCH. CONSEQUENCES WILL BE DEALT TO THOSE WHO IGNORE THIS SIGN"**

To her fear, the machine was brimming full of life. It was turned on.  _"What the…"_ She muttered as she continued to look around the room. She only saw her when she looked down; Marina was on the ground, violently convulsing and shaking as if she was having a bad seizure, her eyes were wide open but were turned around so her pupils were in her head.

Jessica could only stare in horror.


	11. The Formula

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marina uncovers dark and forgotten secrets from her past.

**Years Ago**

**Somewhere in the Domes Beneath Octo Valley**

Marina Ida.

By far the smartest Octoling the Octarian army had ever seen. In the eyes of the other Octolings that knew her, it was actually terrifying how much her brain could hold. But there was more to her than just smarts. She was cunning, dangerous, manipulative, and kind of a psychopath.

Kind of. Ever since she was a little girl, she was taught to not get close to anyone. ANYONE. Her parents, who really were psychopaths, were strong believers in DJ Octavio's world order, following him like religion, even if religion was banned in the Octarian culture.

Marina grew up learning to despise the Inklings and to never count on anyone but herself for anything. But despite all these learnings, she always had a gut feeling that she was being lied to, and that the Octarians themselves were the enemy to be feared. She never realized until she was older that she was right in her suspicions.

Here she was, age 6, on her first day of elementary school. History class. Like much of the Octarians world, the classroom she sat in was gray and lacked life.

"Let's start at the beginning." The teacher started, walking forward. "80 years ago. The Great Turf War…"

Young Marina tuned out the teacher, having already heard the story of the Great Turf War. Blah blah blah, the Squidbeak Splatoon defeated them and they were forced underground, they had no power because the Inkling menace kept all the zapfish, blah blah blah. Her focus was instead aimed on her own work. She didn't know what the Great Turf War had to do with school anyway.

She had a crazy amount of ideas in her head for a 6 year old, and the only way for her to clear it out was usually to write them down. She had tons of notes at her home, including ideas she had for weapons. One day, she wanted to be a weapons designer.

One day, she would create the best damn weapons the Earth had ever seen.

* * *

3 years passed. Within these 3 years, a lot happened. The Octarians who ran the schools discovered just how smart Marina was, since during science class, she constantly ignored the teacher in favor of writing her own advanced formulas and equations, some of which the teachers couldn't even explain. They'd never seen someone like Marina.

So, while just 3 years ago she was a little girl on her first day of the 1st grade, here she was, already in the final months of the 12th grade, still a little girl. She was like a midget compared to the huge tall brutes that took up the high school hallways, and yet, despite that, she still performed the highest out of anyone in any of her classes. It was now that people were starting to get terrified of her brain.

It would only be a few months before she graduated, and found herself a job in the weapon building business.

* * *

Now, here she was, age 10, working among even bigger and taller brutes on big machinery. She was a big part of a project called F.L.O.O.D.E.R., which was actually based on blueprints she herself doodled when she was younger. Everyone around her was wondering how a 10 year old got into such a dangerous job, but as it was a direct order from Octavio himself, no one could argue.

The downfall of a 10 year old working in such a dangerous job though is that she had a bodyguard following her basically the whole time, never taking his eye off her. To her, the bodyguard was terrifying, with his big muscles and serious angry eyes always staring down at her. So at best, she chose to just ignore her and go about her work.

The final design of the Flooder machine was capable of instantly flooding any Inkling or Octoling who doesn't have armor, able to rain down more ink at once than an average shower head can. And the thing is… that wasn't an intentional design.

* * *

"That girl is gonna get someone killed with the things she creates!" One of the workers complained to Octavio.

"She's too young to be working here in the first place, and you're letting her run around, disobeying blueprints, and tampering with the machines to dangerous levels behind our back! She can't be working here!" Another worker yelled.

Young Marina sighed. Her ass was fired.

But no. Octavio actually laughed, and… clapped?

"Well done, young Marina. I made a smart choice hiring you. I mean these Flooder things were never intended to be weapons, we just needed something for cleaning, but Marina… Your creativity is outstanding. These aren't cleaners… These are weapons! Top of the line guards!"

"Are you kidding me?" One of the workers yelled.

Marina only smiled.

Octavio then proceeded to do an extremely rare thing. He transformed into his human form, and stood up from his chair. He had black skin and a large cross-shaped scar on his arm. She walked toward Marina, knelt down, and patter her shoulder.

"Young Marina here is obviously a prodigy. You're gonna do big things for us, kid… And, listen, I can't legally let you on to something of this scale yet, but when you turn 13, you'll be seeing yourself on the Great Octoweapon program." He said with another laugh.

Marina gasped. "W-What? You don't mean… those?"

"Yes I do. You're gonna be in the big leagues. Also, don't listen to these clowns. They don't know what they're talking about."

Marina giggled to herself in excitement. This was her dream!

"That's it! I quit! I don't get payed enough for this shit!" One of the workers suddenly screamed, heading for the exit.

Octavio sighed. "Guards."

The worker who was walking to the exit was suddenly stopped. Four female Octolings, wearing metal goggles and wielding Octoshots, got in front of him before he could leave.

"Police! Stand down!" One of them yelled.

But the worker wasn't obliging. "You can't make me!"

Then the police got aggressive, as one of them tackled him, knocking him down with a yelp.

"You are under arrest for denying the orders of the Octarian police force in direct presence of Commander Octavio. You have the right to remain silent."

The worker began to struggle and scream against them, leading another Octoling to tase him until he was unconscious. "Take him away."

Marina continued to watch as they dragged the man out, slightly disturbed by the violence.

"Amateurs." Octavio said, sitting back down in his throne-like seat and reverting to his Octopus form. "Thank you, young Marina. You can go."

Marina nodded, and began to walk out with a "thank you".

"Hey." Octavio said, one last time, causing Marina to briefly turn around to hear what he had to say. "I expect big things from you. Don't let me down."

* * *

**6 Years Later**

Marina, now 16, had been working in the Great Octoweapon program for 3 years now before she got promoted yet again. Now, she was working straight for Octavio herself, under the Wasabi Supply Unit. Not only did she work there, she had the highest ranking out of the people there, multiple commendations to her name. She was personally working on a project directly requested by Octavio, a floating device by the name of the Octobot King. As part of the job, she had recently cut her hair for it to be shorter than she usually has it.

She had also gotten into a few side missions under Octavio's request, her most recent one to seduce and then bully a rich Octoling into giving up some blueprints he stole from the lab.

She entered Octavio's throne room, throwing the blueprints to him. "They're all yours. Go nuts."

Octavio used his tentacles to pick the blueprints. "…Well done, Marina. Seems you have more talent than just building things."

"You're quite welcome. Now… you know why I did this for you… right?"

Octavio smiled and put the plans away. "Right, indeed." He pulled out a gift, a box wrapped in paper. "You just may be the first Octarian to own such a device, but, this belongs to you."

Marina took the gift from him, opening it up. Inside was an keyboard that resembled a piano. "…It's beautiful…" She said with a big grin, moving her fingers along it. "I love it, thank you."

"You've done so much work in the past years to earn this. You are probably the finest Octarian here. And… I hear you're a bit of a music head."

"I used to listen to some music when I was younger, yeah. I've always wanted to write my own." Marina said, not taking her eyes off the beautiful keyboard.

"I'm a music head, too. I love a good DJ session. Anyway, well, I may have another surprise for you."

Marina finally looked up from the keyboard. "Hm?"

"I'm thinking I'm gonna let you in on Project T.A.R.T.A.R."

"...What's that?"

"It's a very secret project, few people know about it, and… I know about the formula."

Marina felt like her heart fell into her stomach. She had her own secrets to keep and one of them was potentially just found. "What formula?"

Octavio pulled out a small slip of paper with an equation in Marina's handwriting on it. "This equation. It's called… Sanitization? Is that what it's called?"

Yep. Marina's worst fear had just come true. She mentally kicked herself, she knew she should've burned the damn slip. This was single handedly the worst abomination her brain had conceived, and she happened to write it down one night when she was drunk.

"According to my biology team, a formula like this would completely brainwash a person. Almost like a zombie." Octavio turned to his humanoid form, stepping down from his seat. "You brain certainly never seems to disappoint. This could be world-changing. I'm just curious why you would keep this from us?"

"...I never kept it from you."

"Then why was it found in the trash?"

Marina lied. "Must've lost it or something, I don't know."

"Marina… Young Marina…" Octavio put his hands on Marina's shoulders in a comforting way. "I do appreciate your efforts. I can see why you'd keep this private. Really, I'm not even mad. I'm just… a bit disappointed."

Marina sighed. "I'm sorry. I just… I didn't want that to get in the wrong hands."

"It's not in the wrong hands." Octavio said with a smile. "It's with you." He handed her back the slip. Marina, surprised, looked back at him.

"Your next assignment is to make this formula work. Test it on live Octarians if you have to. I don't mind. And… I think you're really gonna like Project T.A.R.T.A.R."

"Sir… With all due respect, I think this formula is an abomination to any and all life forms and I personally don't see it as an accurate portrayal of my intentions." Marina said bluntly. "I request this formula be burned and forgotten."

"Well, perhaps I wasn't clear." Octavio said, a little angrily. "…It's not up to you." As Marina looked down, a few female guards came up behind her. "Due to the top secrecy of Project T.A.R.T.A.R. these guards will be escorting you. Don't worry about your keyboard there, that will be brought to your room for later. Oh yeah… And you'll be blindfolded. I do hope you understand."

Marina sighed as a bag was suddenly placed over her head.

* * *

A few hours passed, Marina having no idea where they were going. She couldn't tell for sure but from the sounds she could hear it sounded like she was in some kind of a submarine. Eventually, the guards escorted her out of the craft and took her bag off. She was in, what appeared to be some kind of a lab.

"This is Tartar Labs. Probably the most secure Octarian base ever." One of the guards explained. "Only people who have very special permissions from Octavio himself even know this place exists." The guard turned to directly face her, even though her threatening eyes were hidden by her goggles. "If a word of this place ever escapes your lips to anyone outside these walls, you will be executed. Are we clear?"

Marina rolled her eyes. "Crystal clear."

"Very well then. Would you like the grand tour?"

Marina nodded. For the next 30 minutes, they took her around the facility, where she saw the most horrifying images she had ever seen. Through the windows they passed, Marina could see multiple Octarians going through some kind of experiment.

"What the hell is going on down here?" Marina gasped. She may have been considered a psychopath by others, but in truth, she had quite the emotional heart.

"You Sanitization formula. We're trying to make it work." The guard replied.

"By torturing people?" Marina said, a couple tears streaming down her face.

"Mostly everyone here are just low-life Octarians. They don't have much purpose to be existing, anyway."

"They're still living beings! They have… feelings, and dreams, and you're torturing them!" Marina snapped suddenly.

The guard chose not to respond to that. "There's only one Octoling we're experimenting on at the moment." She said as she brought her to another window, where a female Octoling pinned to a table could be seen. "Reason being, treason. We don't even know her real name, she just goes by Dedf1sh. That's the thing about criminals, they're just… low-life. Despite that though, we do plan on bringing in more Octolings to the experiment."

"This experiment is sickening."

"You're the one who designed the formula, are you not?"

Marina sighed. "Yeah, but… I was drunk, you know? People do stupid shit when they're drunk!"

"So are you gonna help us finish the formula or not?"

Marina looked down for a few seconds, thinking over her answer, before looking back up with finality. "No. I'm not gonna be any part of this. I'm out. Get out of me here."

"If you refuse to help and we let you leave, we're gonna have to wipe your memories of this project. You know that right?"

Marina sighed again. She did like having her memories. "If I complete the formula… NO ONE will get experimented on unless I know it works and I give the permission."

"I will discuss such matters with Octavio. Come. We have a place where you can work."

* * *

They brought her to a small lab with some papers and pens, a desktop computer, and a bunch of junk stashed around the sides of the room. They opened the door to let Marina in. "We will give you as much time as you need to work on the formula in here. You will work on it right here and right here only, and you will not bring your work back to Octo Valley upon your return. Everything you have seen today is top secret. Understood?"

Marina rolled her eyes again. "Understood."

The guard closed the door behind her, leaving her to contemplate what she was doing by herself. She sighed, turning on the computer.

She took a couple hours to think over the equation, reluctantly completing and writing it down. She also wondered if she still had time to burn the equation she just wrote and let her memories get wiped, but decided to let her emotions out of the matter.

Suddenly, however, she heard… a ringing sound from inside the room. Confused, she looked around. There wasn't a phone anywhere in here. She heard the ringing again, this time tracing it to a box covered by a blanket. She removed the blanket and dug around the box, finding nothing but junk, and some kind of a robotic face looking back her, almost as if it was the face of an old fashioned telephone.

"What the…" She muttered, thinking at first it was just a face. Then she realized, the face was where the ringing was coming room. She pulled it out, and sure enough, it seemed to be an old fashioned telephone.

Deciding to use her time to goof off, she took the phone and plugged it into the computer, turning it on. To her surprise though, this caused it to whir to life.

She looked at it in confusion as it began to make noises that almost sounded like a voice. She must have accidentally answered whoever was calling. Oh joy, she was gonna prank call this person.

Even more to her surprise however, its head and speaker began to move around, as if it was a living creature.

"Ayo, friend. I'm a telephone! What's your name?"

Marina stared at it. "What the…"

"Nice to meet you, what the! Boy, I sure wish I had a name!"

"What? No. My name is Marina. Are you… speaking?"

"Why, yes I am! I sure hope I'm not confusing you. I am an AI construct created [calculating] 12,000 years ago by a brilliant professor. I was created with the prime objective of teaching human knowledge to the next sentient species to take our place, after humanity was ultimately wiped out by rising sea levels due to climate change! Tell me, are you the next sentient species to take humanity's place on Earth?"

"Well…. yes…"

"Excellent! Then here's a fun fact for you! Humans LOVED entertainment! They loved to read, watch television, and dance with each other! Boy, humans sure are interesting, aren't they?"

This was quite the enthusiastic telephone. "Well… to be honest, we already knew that…"

"Oh? Well then how about this, I bet you didn't know this! Humans also-"

"Stop. Ok? Just stop. You're creeping me out." Marina said, just about to turn off the telephone.

"Oh, well gee, I sure am sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

Marina held back her hand, deciding not to turn it off. "You're an AI?"

"Yep!"

"Are you… are you sentient?"

"Oh well, gee, I don't believe I am. I don't even have a name. I assure you I am a very complex AI however! Ask me anything about humans and I can answer!"

Marina called back to the stupid name they decided to give the whole project she was currently working under. "Tartar."

"Pardon?"

"I think I'll call you Tartar."

Tartar shook a bit in excitement. "Well, oh boy, that just warms me up inside! I finally have a name! Thank you, what the!"

"I told you, my name is Marina."

"Oops! Sorry, Marina! That is truly my mistake, is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

Marina took a few seconds to think. "I think… I think I can actually give you some sentience. You know… free will."

"Oh well gee, that sure sounds great! Thanks, Marina!"

Marina began to log into the computer. "I've written lots of random equations and formulas in my day so I'm sure I can cook something up real quick for you. Do a little reprogramming. You could be like… my child. How does that sound?"

"Oh well gee, that sure sounds great! Thanks, Marina!"

Marina noticed it was just recycling dialogue at this point. "Yeah… You could definitely use some reprogramming."

"Oh, well gee, I sure am sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

Yep. Recycling dialogue.

* * *

She then spent another few hours typing a lot of code into the computer. Luckily, her smart brain allowed her to type even faster than average so it didn't take too long to type everything out. She powered down the telephone and began to upload the reprogrammed code to it. It would take a few days to take effect, but soon enough, he would have sentience, and free will.

Of course, Marina didn't think this would have any major consequences in the future. It was just a stupid fun project… right? The sanitization formula, however…

She took the equation she wrote down and handed it to the scientists who were working there. Not even bothering to think about the test subjects there, she requested to the guards she return back to Octo Valley.

* * *

**A Few Days Later**

**Octo Valley**

Marina sat in her room, having taken her mind off of Project T.A.R.T.A.R., playing around with her keyboard. She had this very specific set of notes that seemed very catchy to her, which she wrote down on a little slip. She didn't know what she was gonna call it yet, but she was thinking about something along the lines of… Ebb & Flow.

Yes. That sounded like a good name. She wrote down the title above the lyrics.

Suddenly, an angry looking guard came in to her room. "Commander Octavio demands you presence. Now!"

Uh oh. Marina was in trouble. She slipped the paper into her pocket for later. "Who are you?"

"I'm guard number 10,008. Please come with me."

* * *

Number 10,008 led her to Octavio's room, who was actually in his human form, pacing back and forth, and he seemed to be very, very mad.

"Octavio. She's here." 10,008 declared, stepping to the side, leaving Marina to him.

Octavio angrily turned to her. "Marina! What did you do to the telephone in Tartar Labs?"

Marina sighed. 'Oh shit', she thought. "I may have… goofed off a little bit…"

"Goofed off? The telephone went sentient! And he took over the lab!"

Marina looked down. It was just a telephone, how can it take over an entire lab?

"Now the damn thing thinks that Octarians are some kind of threat to the Earth! He was talking about eradicating us!"

"Oh…" Marina said shyly. This wasn't what she expected.

"And what's worse? He got your formula, Marina!"

Marina looked down in horror. This was totally her fault.

Octavio walked up to her. "I've always been very forgiving to you, but now you've crossed a line you shouldn't have crossed! I am VERY disappointed in you! Project T.A.R.T.A.R. is in ruins now! I gave you a very simple job!"

Marina began to cry a little bit. She didn't like being snapped at. "Sir… I'll make up for it. I can reprogram the telephone again, I can…"

"I don't wanna hear it, Marina! This isn't your problem to fix anymore! I'm taking you off the project!"

Marina rolled her eyes. Like she cared. "Sir, I just wanna say… I'm sorry. I didn't think…"

"Without your memories!"

Marina's eyes went wide. "Sir…"

"This was a very secret project and you ruined it! Now the word is all over the public! Right as we were preparing to steal the Great Zapfish, too… I have commanded my guards to cleanse your memories of the past 5 days."

"Sir… Sir, please…"

"Take her away!" Octavio screamed at the guards, as number 10,008 suddenly grabbed her from behind and cuffed her hands.

* * *

Marina sat in a dark and cold lab, one that she actually helped design. In front of her was a bed in a tube they were preparing to lay her in, where her memories would be taken. Again, another machine she herself designed.

"Before we take away your memories… Are there any memories within the last 5 days you wish to be reminded of?" 10,008 asked her.

Marina took a second to think, remembering her song. "Yes…" Said, taking out the paper with the name Ebb & Flow and the musical notes on it, handing it to her.

She took the paper. "Very well. This will be delivered to you after the procedure. Now, let us begin."

The guards took her and layed her into the tube, and before closing it, they injected her with something by needle and put some kind of a helmet over her head. Marina sighed, closing her eyes.

At least Project T.A.R.T.A.R. and the telephone would no longer be a concern to her. Right?

How little she knew.

* * *

**Present Day**

**Tartar Labs**

Marina awoke with a gasp, as her body relaxed. She was on the floor by the machine she just powered on. She took a moment to process what she just saw.

Whatever she just saw, it was a vision of her of the memories she lost from those 5 days. She hoped it was just some kind of a sick dream, but she could tell they were real, and her memories were relocated. She designed the Sanitization formula. She reprogrammed Tartar. She was the monster behind this whole apocalypse all along.

She was… a monster.

Crying, she sat and then stood up. She was horrified.

_"What did you do to the machine?"_ A voice scrambler said behind her. Jumping, she turned around to see the Executioner

"I didn't…"

_"You turned it on."_

"Who… Who are you?" Marina said, horrified by the mask.

The Executioner took off her mask, revealing a very concerned looking Jessica.

"Jessica…"

"Why'd you turn on the machine."

"I didn't know what it was…"

"What did it do to you?"

Marina chose not to respond. She looked down slowly, seeing her weapon she dropped on the floor. After staring at Jessica for several seconds, before suddenly leaping for it.

She succeeded in grabbing it, but also felt something stab her stomach. She yelped out in pain, slowly looking down, to see what it was.

Jessica had thrown the spear she held right into her abdomen. She looked back at up in Jessica in shock, already struggling to breath. This is what she gets for wearing crop tops.

She stepped backward, almost feeling like she would pass out from the shock. "J-Jessica…"

Jessica slowly walked up to her, grabbing the spear. "I'm sorry…"

Marina thought she was gonna pull it out for her, but she didn't. She actually shoved it further in. Instead of screaming, she gagged, ink starting to bleed from her mouth. Tears of pain were streaming down her face. "W-w… Wh…"

Jessica began to cry herself. "I'm so sorry…." She put back on the Executioner mask and pulled the spear out, quickly running out.

Marina continued to bleed furiously from both her stomach and mouth, as she fell down on her back with struggling breaths and gags. The ink that was bleeding out of her started to form a pool she was laying in.

She struggled to speak. "H- help…" She could barely whisper.

After a few seconds, someone else came in, her Dualies pointed high. Pearl, who saw Marina lying there, gasped.

"Marina!" She yelled, dropping her dualies and kneeling down, putting her hands over the wound. "MARINA!"

"...Pearlie…" Marina whispered, continuing to cry, as she felt herself losing consciousness.

Pearl was crying even harder. "I NEED SOME HELP! SOMEONE! I NEED SOME HELP! PLEASE! RIGHT NOW!"

Callie and Marie quickly walked in upon hearing the screams, their own weapons pointed high. "Oh no…" Marie gasped. She immediately kneeled down to check the wound. "Callie! Run back to the sumbarine and grab the first aid kit, now!"

"MARINA!" Pearl screamed above her tears.


	12. Don't Get Cooked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is forced with a difficult decision in order to save one of their own.

**A Few Hours Later**

**Deepsea Metro**

Marie, wearing a surgical mask, stood in an abandoned room within the Metro, which she had basically transformed into a hospital room with some equipment they stole from Tartar Labs.

Marina lay unconscious on a bed, connected to a heart rate monitor, a breathing tube covering her face. She looked extremely pale, especially for someone of darker skin. They were very lucky that Marina happened to get injured in the presence of hospital technology for them to steal.

Unable to do anything for now about her stomach wound, Marie sighed, staring at the heart rate monitor. Her vitals weren't good at all, and she knew that she would have to go out soon to tell everyone the bad news. Although Inklings and Octolings could get splatted from a number of ink related attacks and come out perfectly fine, they were still vulnerable to more fatal attacks just like humans before them, including a massive strike from something like the NILS statue.

Marie sighed, taking off her mask and leaving the room. Everyone was anxiously waiting outside, especially Pearl, and everyone suddenly stood up to face Marie when they heard the door open.

Pearl practically ran up to Marie. "How is she? Is she gonna be fine?"

Marie sighed again and looked down. "Honestly… I don't think so."

Everyone looked down. Bridgett turned around to hide her tears.

"I mean… I'm not a licensed surgeon or anything, but there is still some stuff I can try. But, I'm not gonna lie, she's hanging on a thread. Her organs are off balance. She'll likely pass away within the next few hours."

Cap'n Cuttlefish's eyes were heavy. "How… How could Jessica do this?"

"This wasn't Jessica." Callie sighed. "This is… some kind of puppet Tartar placed into Jessica's body. Metaphorically speaking."

Marie herself had to keep from crying. "I'll do everything I can to keep her alive, but I recommend saying your goodbyes."

"Hold on." Dylan said, suddenly pulling out a syringe with green ink inside of it and showing it to Marie. "This is uh… some of that sanitization juice, or whatever it is. Maybe if we partially sanitize her, she'll live?"

Marie took the syringe. "That's, certainly a possibility, but… I don't understand how it works exactly, so, it could also backfire and make her condition worse. This would have to be a last resort."

"We're already in a last resort." Pearl said angrily. "You said yourself she'll likely pass away soon."

"Well, it's just, yes this ooze has someregenerative properties, but at the same time we know firsthand that it messes with your head. I think it's like a drug where it makes the subject feel euphoria and love to a specific figure, which is how Tartar brainwashes people with it. Also… from what I understand it stops the organs from functioning and keeps the body alive only using it's regenerative properties, and since her body is damaged already, it could just kill her anyway. Like I said, there are still some other stuff I can try." Marie reasoned. "There's still a chance I can save her. A small chance, but a chance."

Pearl's face of sadness and loss slowly turned to anger. Grunting, she pulled out her dualies and charged toward Sheldon.

Sheldon barely noticed that she was charging toward him before he was suddenly walloped in the nose. He flipped backward, landing on his back, his large helmet bouncing off the pavement. "Ow!"

Pearl took one of her Dualies and brought it to Sheldon's face. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER!"

"Pearl!" Marie screamed, running over to grab Pearl and drag her away.

"I wasn't even conscious when it happened!" Sheldon angrily yelled back.

Pearl was thrashing against Marie. "SHE MIGHT DIE BECAUSE OF YOU! SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND! YOU LET MY BEST FRIEND GET HURT!"

"Pearl! It's not his fault! Stand down!" Marie yelled again. Pearl calmed down a little bit, but her fingers were still ready to pull the triggers on her dualies. She sat down, Marie letting go of her, and she began to violently sob.

"I can't… I can't lose her…" She sobbed.

Marie got down to her level to rub her back. "I know. I'm doing everything I can."

Pearl's sobbing only got harder. "I don't know what I'll do if she… if she…" She didn't bother finishing the sentence, suddenly falling face first into Marie's shoulder. Marie only sat still and hugged her.

* * *

Bridgett sat by the train in Central Station, fumbling a golden toothpick she found in one of the lockers. She was inches away from the smashed blender that nearly killed her 6 months ago, which she peeked at from time to time.

In this spot, around 6 months ago, Jessica crashed through the ceiling and saved both her and Cuttlefish from joining Tartar's ooze. She sighed. How had her life come to this?

Pearl was correct in calling her scum. If she had successfully stopped the NILS statue, they wouldn't be here. Marina wouldn't be on her death bed. She could be living a happy life in Inkopolis right now if it weren't for her own failure. She had never felt this demotivated before.

"Hey." Dylan said, walking up to her and sitting down next to her. Bridgett didn't respond right away, but spoke up after a few seconds.

"...I'm gonna kill her." Bridgett muttered.

"Jessica?"

She nodded.

"Can't say I'll stop you."

"I just… can't believe she'd do something like this. Sanitized or not. …How can she live with herself after doing something like that?"

"She's probably not. I don't think she's completely sanitized yet, she's probably kicking herself over it."

"She made the conscious decision of stabbing Marina and leaving her to die." Bridgett began to cry again. "This isn't even the first time she's hurt people I care about."

"Oh?"

"My friend. She was a soldier for the Octarians, like me. Jessica invaded Octo Valley, and… splatted her. I mean, she didn't kill her, but she took a hard hit and fell into a coma. She was only one of many who she splatted, too."

Dylan cringed a little to himself, knowing damn well he invaded Octo Canyon and took very similar actions. "I'm sorry."

"I've never really put too much blame on her for that though. I understood she was on a mission and that we were in her way. I never agreed with stealing the Zapfish. But… after Marina… that's unforgivable."

Bridgett curled up into a ball and continued to cry. "If… If she dies…"

Dylan put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey. She's gonna be fine."

"We don't know that. Ever since the NILS statue she's been like a mother to me, and… I can't lose her too. What makes it even worse is I failed to protect her."

"You can't blame yourself for that."

"Well I should be blamed. She protected me and I'm supposed to protect her. How am  _I_ supposed live with  _myself_ if I failed that too?"

Dylan took her in for a hug and let her cry into him. "It's not your fault, so don't say that. This isn't your fault and neither was the statue. All we can do is our best, and I know you did yours."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do…" She said softly into his shoulder.

"You'll figure it out."

* * *

Marie continued to closely monitor Marina's condition. She no longer knew what she was gonna do; she was lying to herself when she said there were still stuff she could try.

Marina was gonna die under her watch. Unless…

"How is she?" Callie said, suddenly entering.

Marie looked at her as she sighed through her mask. "Callie… What are you doing in here? I'm operating."

"You're staring."

Marie sighed and leaned against the wall. "…Do you think I should give her the formula?"

"Absolutely. And if she dies from it… then… she was gonna die anyway, but at least then we can say we tried."

Marie picked up the syringe, eyeing it. "I'm really not seeing any other options here."

"Then why are you so reluctant?"

"Because… What if she lives, and there are side effects we don't know of? What if this just gives her a fate worse than death? I'd be responsible for that."

"Well, aren't we only partially sanitizing her? Jessica was partially sanitized and she didn't turn green or anything."

"Yeah but she's still fucked up in the head."

"That's true. But you know what I think?"

Marie looked at her, awaiting her answer.

"I say we go for it. Because honestly, what's the worst that could happen? We already live underneath a destroyed city that used to be our home."

As they spoke, her heart rate monitor began to slow down and played an alarm, indicating her vitals were on the edge of giving up. Her body was preparing to shut down. "Shit." Marie said, holding the syringe tightly in her hand.

Callie held back her panic. "Well… I'll leave the choice to you."

Everyone else, who heard the alarm, walked in to see what was happening.

"Marina…" Pearl cried.

Marie walked up the bed, syringe in hand. "I don't know if I should do this…"

Callie put her hand on her shoulder, nodding at her. "This is gonna work out. I know it."

Marie took a deep breath, preparing to inject the ooze into her IV. "Oh god… Please forgive me if this doesn't work…" She inserted it, draining the syringe of all the ooze, which was now travelling through the IV and into her arm.

They waited a few seconds to see what would happen. Just in case, Marie grabbed a defibrillation device.

The heart rate monitor returned to normal, the alarm stopping. Everyone in the room sighed with relief.

Pearl looked on in anticipation. "…Did you do it?"

Marie checked her pulse. "…I think it's working." She breathed a sigh of relief. Pearl did the same, grabbing Marina's hand.

Suddenly, to the room's horror, Marina's eyes shot right open. She began to grunt and convulse in the bed as if she was having a seizure again, as her eyes once again rolled inside her head.

"Oh no… Hold her down!" Marie yelled. Pearl and Bridgett obeyed, holding down her arms and legs. Marie looked at the monitor, seeing that her heart was going way too fast. "Shit!"

"What's happening!?" Pearl screamed. "WHAT'S HAPPENING!?"

"I don't know!" Marie said, preparing the defibrillator, holding it over her chest just in case. "Come on…"

All at once, she calmed down, and so did the heart rate monitor. Her eyes drifted back shut.

The sound of a flatline echoed throughout the room.


	13. Stay off the Hook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the group continues to bond with each other, Cuttlefish reactivates Code Splat.

"Clear!" Marie proclaimed, the defibrillators in her hand suddenly shocking Marina's chest. Marina's body jumped up as a result.

"Come on!" Pearl pressured her.

Marie rubbed the defibrillators together for a second, putting them back on her chest. "Clear!"

Another shock and another leap from Marina's body.

"We're losing her! One more and that's it!" Marie screamed in a panic. She repeated the process. "Clear!"

Upon the shock, Marina suddenly jumped up with an audible gasp. Although she didn't wake up, the flatline stopped, the stats on the heart-rate monitor returning to normal. Marie looked at the monitor in relief.

"...She's stabilizing… Heart rate, ink pressure, and all other vitals returning to normal." She sighed. "It worked."

"Thank god. Scared the living shit out of me…" Callie said.

Suddenly, Pearl leaped onto Marie in a massive hug. "Thank you!"

Marie was taken by surprise at first, but accepted the hug. "Any time." She sighed when they separated. "Ok. I'm gonna continue to keep an eye on her just in case, but I think she'll live. Just give us some extra time."

Bridgett also went in for a thankful hug, followed by basically everyone else in the room.

"You're a real miracle worker, young lady." Cap'n Cuttlefish said during his turn.

"Thanks, Gramps. Alright, now come on, guys, clear the room!" Marie said peacefully before suddenly turning it into a command. Everyone slowly obeyed.

It was only a few moments before Marie also came out, throwing her surgical gloves and mask in the trash, standing in front of everyone who was still hanging out in the general area outside. "Yeah. She'll live. The partial sanitization is rapidly healing her as we speak. You guys can go in and see her now, but I don't know when she'll be awake."

Pearl immediately stepped into the room, but the rest of them stayed behind to ask questions.

"Will she be on her feet any time soon?" Bridgett asked.

Marie rubbed the back of her head. "I don't know. I doubt she'll be physically able to stand for another few weeks. It's hard to tell though, because while her condition is far worse than what Dylan had to go through, the ooze is also rapidly healing her." Marie looked back, a look of concern spreading across her face. "I just wonder what other effects that ooze might have…"

* * *

It was around 2 AM when Marina finally came to. With a cough, she opened her eyes, looking around the room. It didn't take long for her to notice how weak she was, and she struggled to remember where she was. For a moment, she didn't even remember that Inkopolis was currently rubble.

It didn't matter, however. She looked over to the edge of the room, where Pearl was still sitting in a chair, fast asleep. She had been watching her the whole time.

Although she didn't remember much at the time, she remembered that face. She weakly smiled. "Good night, Pearlie…" She laid back down and let herself drift off once more.

* * *

The next morning came as expected, except everyone was in a pretty good mood waking up compared to the usual.

Marie and Callie woke up at around the same time, in the portable tent they shared. Callie stood up with a massive stretch and yawn. "Hm. Mornin'."

"Morning." Marie said. "God, I slept like a baby last night. All the stress of operating must've worn me out."

"I've been having more strange dreams."

"Like?"

"It was about this really weird island place where some higher up god-like being could create something called Miis out of everyone. They made one out of me and had me move into an apartment, but I didn't really do anything, I just kinda sat there while all the other Miis were goofing off and staring at each other all lovingly."

Marie just scared in confusion. "Sometimes I wonder how your brain can hold all this weird shit."

"I know, right? I must've stayed up too late jerking off again…"

"I really don't need to know that." Marie grumbled, exiting the tent. "I'm gonna make breakfast."

Callie followed suit. There were four portable tents scattered around Central Station. One was for Callie and Marie, one was for Bridgett and Dylan, one was for Cap'n Cuttlefish and Pearl, and the last one was for Sheldon and Marina. Of course, Pearl and Marina were both absent from their tents due to staying in the make-shift hospital room overnight.

There wasn't much, but they made do with what they found throughout the subway. It turns out Tartar had created some decent living conditions for his homeless test subjects. Overall it wasn't as comfy as Cuttlefish Bunker, however.

Marie went over to a stove they had plugged into a wall and prepared to make pancakes. They were all so lucky to have found the right ingredients for pancakes. Food wise, this place was heaven for the apocalypse.

Callie followed her and leaned by the wall near her. "So… I've been thinking…"

"Really? That's new."

Callie began to feel embarrassed. "Well, I don't know, I've just been thinking about us. The Squid Sisters."

Marie stopped what she was doing and looked at her. "Where's this coming from?"

"Have you seen the way Pearl cares about Marina? It just… it made me realize I haven't always… been there for you."

Marie looked at her with a sad yet reassuring smile. "Oh, Callie… I could say the same thing about myself. I mean… ever since that final Splatfest and us retiring the Squid Sisters, we hadn't had much time to hang out. And, that was my fault, not yours."

"Well, I was the one who got, frankly, a bit offended after the last Splatfest, and… I shut you out."

Marie shook her head subtly. This was something she was aware of but never truly realized. "We shouldn't have done that damn Splatfest."

"And then, I had to go and get brainwashed by Octavio for a bit, and you had to get Dylan to fish me out, and… I know we never really talk about that anymore, but I truly feel terrible for that. And I don't know if I could ever pay you back for that."

Marie walked up to her and put her hands on her shoulders. "Hey. It's fine. We're only Inkling, we make mistakes, and you've already paid me back for that."

"I really haven't."

"Yes you have. You paid me back by being my cousin, my best friend, and being here for me, right now. During all this."

Callie smiled at her. "You really think so?"

"100%. Remember, Squid Sisters forever. Nothing will ever change that, not Octavio, not a telephone destroying the city, not even our graves." She held out her pinky, which Callie smiled even harder at and grabbed it with her own.

"Squid Sisters forever."

Cap'n Cuttlefish, who left his tent when no one is looking, suddenly came up to them. "Hi, young ladies.

Marie turned around to face him. "Morning, Gramps. How'd you sleep?"

"Not that well, but I'm old, I'm used to it. So, listen, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about ever since you returned the Cuttlefish Bunker, but I never really got around to it. And after this whole Marina thing, I think it's time."

"Time for what?" Callie said curiously.

"I'm going to reactivate Code Splat."

Callie smiled. "Oooooooooh…"

But Marie, meanwhile, only looked confused. "I…. don't know what that is…"

* * *

Marina drifted back awake finally. She felt much more rested, as the reality of what happened to her hit her. She looked over at Pearl, who was now awake, fumbling with a rubix cube in her chair.

"Hey, Pearlie."

Pearl instantly looked up and dropped the rubix cube. "Hey!" She stood up and practically ran to the side of her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I have a stomach wound and bees inside my head."

"Listen, Marina…. I'm so, so sorry."

Marina groaned. "Pearlie, please don't. You're fine."

"No, I'm sorry, for everything, I'm sorry for calling you scum, for calling you a slut, I'm sorry for-"

"Pearlie, STOP. You have nothing to apologize for, I tried to choke you. I should be the one who's apologizing."

Pearl sat back down. "It's just… I was so angry with you, you know? After the whole Octoling thing, and…"

"I know. I'm sorry." Marina sighed. "I should've told you a long time ago, and I shouldn't have attacked you. I'm… a monster. You probably should've just let me die."

Pearl instantly got offended and scooted the chair closer to her, grabbing her hand. "I would NEVER let you die like that, not in a million years! I don't care who you are or what you've done. I know I've been such an asshole to you, but… I see now I just can't live without you."

"Oh, Pearlie…" Marina choked a little bit. "You were right about me. I'm just scum…"

"Marina, I didn't mean it…"

"You don't understand. I developed the sanitization formula. I gave Tartar sentience and free will." Marina began to cry a little. "I made this entire nightmare possible."

"Well, did you do it on purpose?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Then so what? Marina… I was wrong about you. I was just… upset over this whole Inkopolis thing, but every time I think deeply enough into it, I just realize more that you're a good person. You're not like those Octarian assholes."

"I used to be like them."

"And you changed. You came to Inkopolis, moved in with me, and you made some GREAT music with me. It just took me way too long to open my eyes."

"Pearlie… Stop fooling yourself." Marina sighed. "If you wanted to leave… you should just leave."

Pearl leaned back in her chair. "I'm offended you even thought that. The answer is no."

"Huh?"

"I'm staying. I'm gonna kick Tartar's face in after what he did to you. The question I wanna know is… Why did he want you dead so bad?"

"I don't know… I mean, I basically gave life to him, so I don't know why he'd want me dead. Maybe there was other shit I did that I also had wiped from my memory…"

The door opened with a knock. Bridgett was standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Eight." Marina said. "Have you been good while I was gone?"

Bridgett smiled. "I tried my hardest." She turned to Pearl. "Uh, can I have a moment with her alone?"

Pearl gave her trademark angry squint. "You better not mess with her…" She said as the left the room.

"So… Pearl's finally warming up to you." Bridgett said, still smiling. "It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Eight. I hope I didn't worry you."

"How could I not be worried?"

Marina sighed, her smile fading. "Eight… I have something I need to tell you."

"Hm?" Bridgett said, sitting down.

"This Sanitization thing… Tartar… They're both my fault."

"What makes you say that?"

"I developed the Santization formula, and then I gave some random telephone sentience and free will… I never even realized it because my memories of the program were wiped. …You still think you're the monster here?"

Bridgett sighed, a little surprised. "Well… wow."

"I'm sorry, Eight. If I had known this would happen I wouldn't have done it."

Bridgett looked down. "Do you remember what you told me, when we talked about the Octarians?"

Marina awaited the answer without speaking.

"You told me that Octavio brainwashed us into doing his shit. With the glasses. I've had a while to think over what you said, and… I believe it now. With all my heart. I'm not gonna blame you for that."

"But… None of this would've happened if it wasn't for me…"

"I used to think the same thing about myself. I used to kick myself over it every day. But here are, outside the Octarian domes, on our own turf. We're different people, and we do our best here. And if we fail… we get up and try again."

Marina looked straight into her eyes. "…Do you really believe that?"

"I know it. Because if we sit around all day kicking ourselves over something we no longer have control over, we're not gonna make any progress to making any of it right."

Suddenly, the door opened, and both Cuttlefish and Pearl stepped in.

"Bridgett." Cuttlefish said. "We're holding a big meeting in Central Station. We've love it if you could meet us in there."

Bridgett sighed, briefly touching Marina's shoulder. "Don't get cooked, Marina."

Marina smiled. "Don't get cooked."

As Bridgett left the room, Cuttlefish and Pearl quietly stepped in.

"The old man has some crazy announcement to give us." Pearl explained. "I have to go, but I'll fill you in when I come back."

"What's going on?" Marina questioned.

"The future." Cuttlefish said. "Starting today, you two are Agents 6 and 7 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon."

* * *

Everyone but Marina and Cuttlefish stood shoulder by shoulder in a line in Central Station.

Cuttlefish paced back and forth in front of them, cane in hand as always. "6 months ago, we lost everything. We lost people we loved, people we cared about, strange people on the street we'd never met and probably never would meet. 6 months ago, Inkopolis was turned to rubble. And we've just been sitting around, for 6 months, letting ourselves get pushed around by a telephone. Well that ends today!"

Cuttlefish looked around at the group. "We may no longer have Jessica, but I stand in front of a group of talented Agents. Each and every one of you is a hero, and starting today, we're gonna start taking a stand to make things right. Tartar may have one, but we're no longer gonna let him celebrate such a victory!"

He started to go down the line. "Agent 1, my beautiful granddaughter and the first Agent to ever join me in my quest for peace. Agent 2, my other equally beautiful granddaughter, who showed tremendous leadership skills in my absence. Agent 4, who showed great courage and stepped up without an Agent 3 to be her replacement and save Agent 1. Agent 5, an expert weapons builder who has been an extreme help in providing our firepower. Agent 6, who has joined just today but has proved to us that she still has heart. Agent 7, who may not be with us in this room right now, and also just joined today, but is a great technician, survivor, and friend to us all. And finally, Agent 8, the bravest and most heroic Octoling I've ever met, who refused to let this very metro get to her head despite the fact that all hope seemed lost."

He went back to his normal pacing. "Starting today, we are, once again, the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Today is the day we all stand hand in hand, shoulder by shoulder, and announce in one voice we will no longer let Tartar control our lives. We will destroy him, whatever it takes, and we will win!"

Bridgett smiled and stepped forward. "Whatever it takes."

Dylan did the same. "Whatever it takes."

Followed by Sheldon. "Whatever it takes."

Now Pearl. "Whatever it takes."

Now Callie and Marie, at the same time. "Whatever it takes."

* * *

'Whatever it takes.' Jessica thought to herself. She was wearing her Executioner armor, but not her mask. She was sitting in Tartar Labs, and the green sludge that once protruded out of her head like a massive tumor was back.

Commander Tartar stepped into the room, and Jessica immediately stood up to face him. "How are the results?"

Tartar sighed. "I can see now why I couldn't completely sanitize you before."

"Why's that?"

"The Sanitization formula was built around the Octarians. As you are an Inkling, while your biology is still generally the same, it's just far enough apart that I can't complete the process."

"Oh…"

"But the Marina girl… You succeeded in killing her?"

Jessica was unaware that Marina was still alive. "Yes. She has been dealt with, as I promised."

"That's very good. She was the worst type of life form, she had no place on this planet. I'm glad that you understood." He stepped out.

Jessica sighed, slipping on her Executioner mask.


	14. New Squidbeak Splatoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team adjusts to their new life, Bridgett and Dylan embark on a dangerous mission, and Marina reveals a troubling truth to Marie.

**One Year Later**

"Dear Diary." Bridgett spoke into her employee model CQ-80 she found in the Metro. "It's been a year since the New Squidbeak Splatoon first assembled after the NILS statue, and, it's been a step up from the first 6 months. Marina is doing great, I hear she's been training for combat. Marie has been closely monitoring her for side effects of the partial sanitization, and has yet to come up with any bad news. She and Sheldon have also been working closely, together, they made us our new Hero equipment. On top of that, Off the Hook is back, they've been working with the Squid Sisters in their spare time to write new music. Too bad I haven't been around lately to see it. But overall, everyone has been great friends and we're really getting along. Except for maybe Pearl but she's acting nicer now at least."

Bridgett looked around her surroundings. She was in an abandoned broken down building somewhere in Inkopolis. She was wearing the newly updated Hero Outfit designed by Marina and Sheldon. The main armor was black, covered her whole body except for her hands and head, was somewhat thick yet flexible, and had lines of neon light lined throughout her suit in patterns (which could be turned off for more stealthy missions). The new Hero Headset she wore was similar to the slick design of the Hero Headphones Dylan used to wear, but had even more flashing colors to it this time and was thinner in the back. Everyone in the Splatoon had versions of this new outfit, including Cuttlefish, although they came in different shapes and sizes in order to fit their respective wearers (Sheldon's was the most unique as he also had a black helmet with his to make up for his usual helmet), and also had different colors of the neon lights that matched their usual hair color. As a result, Bridgett's color was pink-ish red.

"Dylan and I have been back in Inkopolis for a month now, in our mission to find and gain information on Tartar which we share with everyone back at the Metro in daily updates. So far, we haven't had any luck, because of how big the city is, but from what we can tell there's a new building under construction over where Moray Towers used to be, which is almost finished. I have no doubt Tartar is there. Most of his forces have been distracted by that building, so the city has been easier to traverse. Dylan has been keeping me company of course, he's in this mission as much as I am. I think we've turned out great friends, he's been a real help for me whenever I've felt down, especially in this mission. Right now, I just can't wait to get back to the Metro and see everyone." She prepared to power down the CQ. "Love, Bridgett. Don't get cooked."

Around the same time, she received a call request in her headset, she tapped a small button in the back to answer it. "Bridgett."

_"Hi, Eight. It's Agent 7."_

Bridgett stood up and put the CQ in her pocket. "Hey, Marina. I heard you've been working on combat training."

_"Yes! I'm completely back on my feet! Too bad I can't really wear crop tops anymore unless I want this gross scar on my belly to be visible. …Anyway, how's your mission?"_

Bridgett looked out the window. "It's boring. I'm waiting for Dylan to get back, he went out to do some monitoring."

_"By himself?"_

"Yeah, actually. Tartar's forces haven't been actively patrolling or anything. How is everyone?"

_"We're good here. I wish you could hear some of the music Pearlie and I have been working on with Callie and Marie."_

"I'd love to, I might actually come back in a few days. There hasn't been much going on out here anyway."

_"Hm… Alright. Can't wait to see you! I miss you so much, Eight, you have no idea."_

"I miss you too."

_"Alright, I've gotta go. Say hi to Dylan for me. Don't get cooked."_

"Don't get cooked." Bridgett finished, hanging up.

A few moments of staring out the window later, Dylan suddenly shoved through the rusty metal entrance door, which was a little bit tricky to open as it was loose from its handles and dragged across the floor whenever it moved. "Hey." He said awkwardly. He wore his own version of the new Hero Armor, his neon color being green.

"Where the hell have you been?" Bridgett sighed.

"I was monitoring that building. I think they're wrapping on it."

"You make me nervous when you're gone that long. I mean, really, all we need to do is peek at it every couple hours and we'll know everything there is to know."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, just… don't be out for so long." Bridgett said. They stared at each other for a few seconds before they pecked each other on the lips. "Come on, I'll make dinner." She finished, grabbing his hand and leading him to their make-shift kitchen area.

* * *

**Deepsea Metro**

Within the last year, Central Station has been completely transformed by the work of Marina and Sheldon. The train tracks were gone entirely, which didn't really affect anyone because the metro had been slowly abandoned after Bridgett left C. Q. Cumber to rot in a locker. The random stuff on the walls were cleaned out, and some extra bedrooms were constructed in the corners of the room for them to sleep. Just like at Cuttlefish Bunker before it, computer monitors lined the walls. The lights above them were fixed up, and on the edge of the room, where there used to be lockers and a vending machine, lay a small stage, where the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook could goof off with their music. This had been their home for quite a while now.

Everyone who had once ridden the trains through the Metro had left it behind, except for Iso Padre, who was tragically found dead on the train months ago, from what seemed to be a suicide. Bridgett, who assumed he must've heard about the destruction of Inkopolis and gave up, personally organized and hosted his funeral the week after.

Marina walked up to Cap'n Cuttlefish, who was sitting in front the monitors, eyeing them. "I just got off the phone with Eight. She says they may be coming back in the next few days."

Cuttlefish smiled, which was still invisible thanks to his massive beard. "Really? Wonderful news. I'm glad they're alright. Did you do your weekly check-up with Marie today?"

Marina sat down at the table. "Yeah… she still thinks I might be showing symptoms from the partial sanitization she gave me, but every single time I've passed her little test."

"I'm glad to hear it, young lady." Cuttlefish said. "You are quite the survivor."

Sheldon suddenly stood up on the table disrespectfully, as he worked on his gadget he liked to tinker with in his free time. "Hey guys, do you think this looks too big?"

"Sheldon, we talked about this. Get off the table." Marina sighed.

"Ok, but do you guys think this is too big?" Sheldon said, shoving it into Marina's face.

Marina, a little angry, casually pulled a screw from it, causing it to instantly fall apart in Sheldon's hands. "Aw, man…" Sheldon said sadly.

"Get. Off. The table!" Marina yelled.

Sheldon sighed and leaped off. "Honestly, you people should relax a little bit. It's just a table..."

"That we eat on…" Marina sighed. "I miss Eight."

"Well at least you have me!" Pearl suddenly screamed, walking up to the table and sitting down next to Marina. "Hi. Are you coming to practice?" She asked her.

Marina looked over at the stage, where Callie and Marie were standing in their Squid Sisters outfits while chatting. "Well… I guess, I don't have anything better to do." As she began to walk away, she noticed that Sheldon was preparing to jump on the table again. "You lay your grubby little shoes on my table again and I splat you."

"I'm a horseshoe crab, you can't splat me…" Sheldon smirked. "Silly Octoling. I don't think you know much about my species, so I'll have to sit you down and explain all about us one time."

Marina stopped and sighed, pulling out her upgraded Hero Shot designed by Sheldon, which had a very futuristic design, of a similar style to the one Jessica used to use. Barely aiming, she shot ink right into Sheldon's eye.

Sheldon immediately grabbed his eye and fell to the ground screaming. "AHHHHH! IT BURNS! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!"

Pearl smirked, lightly punching her shoulder. "Heh. Nice one, Marina."

Marina put her Hero Shot away, as the two of them walked over to the stage.

"Hey, girls." Marie said, noticing them walking up. "Any song ideas for today?"

"I was thinking we make another cover of Now or Never…" Pearl said, sarcastically, hopping on stage to tinker with the lights. Marina lingered to talk with the cousins.

Marie decided to take the brief moment to catch up. "So, uh… You and Pearl."

Marina nodded. "Yep. Me and Pearl…"

"Have you guys been getting along ok?"

"Uh, yeah, perfectly…"

Callie grunted. "Oh, bullshit! I hear you up every night arguing in your room. You guys are very loud, by the way, especially Pearl."

Marie looked at her. "Callie, you weren't supposed to say that…"

Marina sighed, leaning on the edge of the stage.. "Well, it's just…" She looked back to make sure Pearl wasn't listening. "Some days, like today, she's the same old Pearl. Other days-"

"She's not. I hear you." Marie said, leaning next to her. "Friendships can be rough like that."

"I know she's acting nicer to me now and we've opened back up to each other, but at the same time, I have this… really bad feeling that she still resents me. It's sometimes really hard to tell how she really feels about me."

"Well… Have you talked about it?"

"No. I can't tell her about that, but it's just… Oh my god, I'm having a panic attack." Marina suddenly said, immediately standing straight up.

Marie grabbed her arm. "Just breathe. Have you been feeling ok?"

"Marie… Can I talk to you in private?"

* * *

Marie closed the door to her room, inviting Marina to sit on her bed. Marina accepted.

"Ok, girl. What are you not telling me?" Marie sighed.

Marina took a moment to take deep breaths. "It's just, I've been feeling really fucked up in the head."

"How so? Is it the partial sanitization?"

"I think so…"

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how to."

"What have you been feeling exactly?" Marie said, pulling out some paper and a pencil from her drawer.

"I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it's awful. I've been having these really weird dreams. Not like the ones that Callie likes to describe, they're more like nightmares."

"What happens in these dreams?"

"...I kill people. Innocent people. Back in the Octarian domes."

Marie wrote this down. "And they're just dreams? How often are they on your mind?"

"All the time. And it goes deeper than that, I… I slapped Pearl the other day. Really hard."

Again, Marie wrote this down. "Why so?"

"We were having an argument, and… I don't really know how to tell anyone this, but… I've been having really violent thoughts. In my dreams, in general, it's been harder to control my anger… They're the types of thoughts I used to have under the influence of Octavio's brainwashing goggles."

"When did this start?"

"Not long after I woke up after getting stabbed. When you gave me the sanitization."

Marie finished writing it all down. "So… you've been lying to me for a year?"

"I'm sorry, Marie… It's just… These thoughts scare me, and I've been trying to keep them locked down but they've been appearing in my dreams more and more and Sheldon and Pearl are both driving me nuts and I miss Eight and I'm just bottling this inside and-" She said in one run-on sentence.

"Marina, I understand. These are things I would've expected as side effects. But you can't lie to me about things like this. You need to be straight and honest with me in every single meeting we hold."

Marina started to cry a little. "…Do you think I'm losing my mind?"

"No, of course not. I gave you the injection a year ago now and you still haven't lost your mind. You're strong, Marina. But… I do think I need to start monitoring you a little closer to see if these side effects get worse over time."

"And what if they do get worse?"

"Then… We'll figure it out."

"I mean… You saw what happened to Jessica. She was only partially sanitized and, she went insane."

"Within the span of 6 months. Her emotions were redirected in favor of Tartar. Like I just said, for you, it's been a year. I think you'll be fine. Just make sure you stay honest with me. And… see if you can patch things up with Pearl. You did it once, and you guys are tight, so I'm sure you can always work things out."

"...Alright. Thanks, Marie."

"No problem. Now, come on." Marie opened the door. "Let's go to practice."

Marina smiled and stood up.

* * *

**Inkopolis**

"So… Marina called earlier." Bridgett said, eating her soup next to Dylan, as they were sitting on the ground by the wall. "I told her we may be coming back soon."

"You wanna abandon the mission?"

"Well, I mean… All this mission was was to get information on Tartar so we can plan a strike or whatever. We've found what we need. And, really, we don't even need to be spying on it in person, we can just sneak a hidden camera that would spy on it 24/7."

"Alright, understandable. I think we can start going back to the Metro. This building isn't exactly comfortable anyway."

"I might call her again and see if she can send a drone or something to plant a camera." Bridgett smiled. "Honestly… this mission was a huge waste of time."

"Nah, I don't think so. I get to hang out with you every day."

"You'd get to hang with me every day anyway."

"Well… true. Let's get the hell out of here. Tonight."

"Wow… Tonight? I told her in the next few days." Bridgett smiled again.

"Who cares? We don't have that much to pack."

"Well, alright then." She said, putting down her empty bowl. "I say let's surprise them."

"Let's do it." They both stood up, preparing to pack their things. "I'm honestly SO ready to get the hell out of this smelly building."

But Bridgett didn't follow him. Something was wrong. She heard something. She squinted her eyes and surveyed the area.

Dylan noticed that she was acting strange and turned around, a confused expression on his face. "…Bridge?"

Bridgett continued to survey very carefully. "…Do you think you could've been followed here?"

"I mean… I personally thought I was pretty sneaky. Why, is there someone here?"

Bridgett pulled out her upgraded Hero Shot. It was the same as Marina's everyone having their own copy, with the exception of Pearl and Marie, who instead had Hero Dualies and a Hero Charger respectively. "Well… I have a bad feeling."

Dylan, now nervous, pulled out his own Hero Shot. "…I don't get payed enough for this shit… Not that we get payed at all… And also not like we even need currency in a post apocalyptic city where basically everyone is dead."

"Shh!" Bridgett suddenly abruptly silenced him. She was listening closely for any footsteps or anything that gave away that someone was in the room with them. She thought she heard footsteps, but wasn't sure. "…It may be nothing."

Suddenly, Dylan collapsed to the ground unconscious. Bridgett immediately turned around to face the intruder, who was behind Dylan, holding a spear.

_"Hello, Bridgett. It's been a while… hasn't it?"_ The Executioner said through her voice scrambler mask.  _"I've gotta say… I missed you. You're a challenging one to fight."_


	15. The Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bridgett and Dylan must fight for their lives as they enter Tartar’s new base of operations.

Dylan snapped awake, struggling to move. He was sitting upright against the wall, tied up by a rope. He looked over to see Bridgett, who was also tied up near another wall, and seemed to be unconscious .

"Bridge!" He ushered. "Bridgett!"

_"Quiet."_ The voice scrambler said. The Executioner walked up to him, setting her spear down next to her as she leaned on one knee to get down to his level.  _"She can't hear you."_

"Look, kill me if you want but if you hurt Bridge I swear to god I'm going to-"

_"I'm not here to kill Bridgett. I'm not here to kill you. I convinced Tartar a year ago that you would all be spared, with the exception of one person. Speaking of, I'm sorry about Marina."_

"I really don't believe that. I bet at this point you're all green or whatever, completely under Tartar's will."

Jessica took off the mask, setting that down next to her spear, allowing Dylan to see the green sludge protruding from her head. She sat down, crossing her legs. "I can't be completely sanitized, that's the thing. No Inkling can, apparently. But Tartar made do with what he could get out of me."

"If you're not hear to kill us, what do you want?"

"I want you to stay out of Tartar's business. Let me just say how nice Tartar was to accept my proposition that you guys live, he's allowing us to co-exist in one world. But he despises Inklings, he despises Octarians, he despises you and your friends, and he especially despises Bridgett over there. If you continue to push what you're doing, Tartar will no doubt change his mind."

Dylan laughed. "If he despises Inklings so much why is he still letting you suck his robotic dick?"

"Because of my loyalty."

"You don't know loyalty. You were with good people, you were a hero, and you kind of betrayed us."

"Yes…" Jessica looked down. "I betrayed you. There's not a day that goes by where I don't regret leaving Cuttlefish. But… this is my life now."

"Dude… Don't ever speak to me about loyalty. I don't give a shit how much sanitization you have pumping through you but you don't know true loyalty."

"As I was saying…" Jessica grunted. "Tartar himself would like to speak to you. He wants to make sure you got his message." She stood up, slipped back on her Executioner mask, grabbed Dylan by his ropes, forcing him to stand up.  _"Let's go."_

She also went over to Bridgett, aggressively snapping her fingers in front of her face until she woke up.  _"Let's go. Now."_

* * *

**Deepsea Metro**

"No, no, no… You've gotta put more leg into it, like this." Marie said, in her Squid Sister outfit, as she proceeded to flawlessly perform the dance movie that Pearl and Marina attempted seconds ago.

"Ok, that is so unfair, you're just better dancers than us." Marina sighed. Pearl and Marina were both in their Off the Hook outfits, but Marina now wore a much longer jacket in order to mask her belly scar.

"Well, that's kind of our thing…" Callie said with a smirk. "See while you guys put your mind-numbing work into rapping and turning some discs on a table, we Squid Sisters put, like, 90% of our music into actual dancing. See, we'll show you… Hit it, Marie!"

Marie tapped the play button on the radio with a grin, causing a demo of Calamari Inkantation to start playing. They immediately began their trademark dance to the rhythm, in perfect sync with one another.

Pearl eyed them with her mouth open. "…This is making me feel really self-sensitive right now…"

"Guys, come on! Obviously we can dance but we're not gods at it like you. I am kind of a DJ for a reason…" Marina sighed again.

"You said you wanted to make your own cover of Calamari Inkantation, but we're not giving you permission if you can't get the dance moves right." Callie continued, not stopping the dance.

"How are you guys so good at this anyway?"

"Practice. Lots and lots and lots of practice. And lots of practice. And did I mention lots of practice?" Marie said, still dancing in perfect sync with Callie.

"This is ridiculous." Pearl said. "Alright if you guys, think you're so smart… try and catch up with this!" Pearl said, starting her own radio. A demo of Shark Bytes began to play, to which Pearl immediately began to rap the chorus.

Marina, although caught by surprise, eventually chimed in with her own part in the background.

Marie and Callie stopped their dance to listen to their work. Marie frowned. "…Well. I have to admit it at some point. Girl's got bars."

Pearl crushed the radio with her foot. "THAT'S RIGHT BITCHES, THAT'S WHY WE'RE THE BEST!" She took a deep breath, before suddenly bellowing loudly: "BOOYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The entire room began to shake, the lights dimming. Marina grabbed her arm. "Pearlie! Pearl, that's enough!" Pearl obeyed, wiping the spit from her mouth, before suddenly spitting some more at the Squid Sisters' feet.

Marie grunted. "Hmph. I guess we'll just have to admit to each other that we have our own talents and strengths in music. …But just remember that if you can't dance properly…"

"Then your music is shit." Callie smirked.

"Look who's talking. If you can't keep up with the rap queen then you don't much of a place in music yourself." Pearl said, flipping them off casually.

Suddenly, Sheldon hopped on stage, walking up to Marina. "…I think you need to see this…" He said, pulling out a little tablet he had, which was displaying some sort of distress signal.

Marina read it aloud. "This is Bridgett, Dylan and I have been found. Find us at Moray Towers. Be wary of Jessica." She gasped and took the tablet from Sheldon, hopping off the stage, and running toward the Cap'ns room. "Well, shit. CUTTLEFISH, WE HAVE A SITUATION!"

Cuttlefish exited his room. "What's that, young lady?"

Marina showed him the tablet, allowing Cuttlefish to slowly read the big red text. "Eight's in trouble."

"Jessica…" Cuttlefish said, his eyes widening. "This is the day, girls. This is the day we find Jessica. Good work. EVERYONE, SUIT UP!"

"Is Jessica seriously your priority?" Marina half-yelled back at him.

"Well… Bridgett's important too, but, yes! We're putting a stop to this Jessica thing!" Cuttlefish said, moving to the lockers where they kept their gear.

Marina sighed. This was gonna end badly. She followed him to the lockers.

* * *

**Below Moray Towers**

Moray Towers was completely unrecognizable. Major portions of it were torn down and replaced by a work-in-progress green building. It seemed mostly complete, except for the top floors, which were still obviously under construction.

_"Welcome to Tartar Tower."_ The Executioner said. She had led Bridgett and Dylan all the way to the building, who were still tied up above the waist. It was completely unaware to that Bridgett had managed to sneak a distress signal to Sheldon.

"What does Tartar need a tower for?" Bridgett said, looking up at it.

_"This is to be the capital of his new world. His new society of the ultimate species."_

"Don't tell me you consider those zombie horror movie things to be the ultimate species." Dylan replied.

_"The Stalkers are a work in progress. Tartar admits this."_ The Executioner began to untie Dylan.  _"In order to show you that Tartar does not mean war with you at the time, you will be untied from this moment forward, but know that any attempts to fight or flee will be met with lethal force. You will be on watch at every moment. Don't be stupid."_

Bridgett waited to be untied herself, panicking to herself. Jessica was right next to her. She could kill her, take her revenge right now for what she did to Marina, to her, to the group.

She didn't know how she would kill Jessica. She had nothing sharp to stab her with, just her Hero Shot, and it was common knowledge that enemy ink wasn't exactly fatal to Inklings. Not only that, but they were surrounded by Stalkers. She was outgunned and partially defenseless.

The Executioner noticed that Bridgett was gripping her Hero Shot nervously. 'Idiot', she thought to herself.  _"In order to ensure you do not resist us, your weapons will be confiscated."_

She began to reach for their weapons, but suddenly, she was elbowed in the mask by Bridgett. Bridgett immediately grabbed her Hero Shot, and, along with Dylan, began to fire ink at the Stalkers that surrounded them.

The Stalkers collapsed, one by one, as Bridgett and Dylan pumped them full of ink. The Executioner, now regaining her senses after the blow she took, prepared to strike with her spear, but Bridgett kicked her to hold her off a second longer.

"Run!" She quickly screamed to Dylan, as they began to ink the ground and swim around the corner of the building. They were, however, forced to stop, as more Stalkers were waiting for them. "Shit!" Bridgett yelled, as they both returned to their human forms.

"What do we do?"

Bridgett quickly investigated their surroundings, seeing some kind of big air vent entrance in the wall, which seemed to lead down like a sewer. She pointed to it. "Get in there! I'll follow you!"

"Are you crazy!? This is Tartar's base!"

Bridgett began firing at the incoming stalkers, who were now closing in. "Just go! I'll meet you down there! All we need to do is stall until the Splatoon arrives!"

Dylan grumbled, using his squid form to slip in.

Bridgett continued to stand still, landing more hits on the incoming Stalkers. She prepared to follow Dylan down the vent, but suddenly, the Executioner's spear flow into it, slicing it, and blocking Bridgett from getting access. She turned around to see the Executioner was marching toward her.

_"Where did he go?"_ She said angrily.  _"We tried to make peace with you!"_

"You're not getting peace with us!" Bridgett returned, pulling out the spear and attempting to slice her with it. However, the weight of the spear caught her off guard, keeping her from swinging it the way she meant.

The spear awkwardly whammed the ground in front of the Executioner, who proceeded to take it from her, ramming her in the head with it. Then, swiftly, she did a drop sweep kick, knocking Bridgett to her side.

Bridgett groaned, rolling to face Jessica. "…I'm gonna kill you."

_"And I look forward to it."_ Jessica turned to more Stalkers, who had just arrived on the scene.  _"Find the boy! I think he went down to the sewers!"_

The Stalkers nodded, going to the vent entrance and beginning to tear it open. Jessica knelt down to Bridgett, grabbing her by the arm.

_"You're the most persistent Octoling I've ever met. I fought many of them in Octo Valley, but you… You really stand out. Gotta give you credit for that. I hope you know that your friend will die for this."_

Bridgett groaned, struggling against her arm. "You hurt Dylan, and I'll rip your tentacles off!"

_"You should've thought about it earlier. Let's go!"_ Jessica forcefully dragged her away.

* * *

Dylan travelled a good distance into the sewers, using a built in flashlight on his Hero Shot. He had no idea where he was going, to him it was like a maze down here. He was walking through dirty water, but the Hero Suit was waterproof now so as long as he didn't touch it with skin he would be fine.

He sighed and leaned against the wall. "C'mon, Bridgett… Where are you…?"

That was when he heard footsteps and small splashes. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was Bridgett, but then he heard the distorted moans of Stalkers. "That's not good…" He whispered. He knew he shouldn't have watched Night of the Living Squids when he was younger.

He turned off his green neon lights on his suit, turned off his flashlight, and continued sneaking forward, making as little splash as possible, trying to lose the Stalkers that were following him. The problem was, without light, he had no way of knowing where he was going.

He stuck close to the wall, using it to make sure he wouldn't get more lost than he already was. He had a feeling something terrible happened to Bridgett, and he cringed to himself thinking about it. There was nothing he could do now, however, other than find his way out.

He snuck onward for what seemed like several minutes. The more he walked, the more silent and isolating things seemed to get. This was either a very good thing or a very bad thing. Feeling safer now, he turned back on his flashlight, but not his suit lights, and he continued to walk for what seemed like several minutes.

Suddenly, however, the footsteps he was hearing were starting to get louder. He sighed to himself and stopped walking, pointing his gun everywhere, surveying the area. No one seemed to be around.

He decided to keep going, but suddenly, a single Stalker flew right at his face with a high screamed roar, knocking him down into the water. The Stalker thrashed against him, as Dylan was desperately trying to keep his head out of the water. He punched the Stalker in the face and then turned his Hero Shot against him, blasting him with ink until he collapsed dead.

Dylan quickly got him and groaned to himself. They just produced a LOT of noise. He stared down the halls behind him, now hearing several Stalker screams and footsteps coming his way.

A few Stalkers began to engage him, which he fired at for a bit, defending himself, but it soon became obvious that he was too outnumbered to fight his way out of this. As soon as he was in any sort of safe space, he began running for his life for the water. Because of the water, he couldn't use ink to swim around or anything so he had to run as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Several Stalkers began catching up to him, screaming as they chased him down the halls, and some were even throwing their spears. Without stopping, he attempted to fire his Hero Shot behind him to slow them down, but understandably didn't manage to land very many shots.

After a little bit of running, another group of Stalkers managed to cut in front of him, blocking his path. He swiftly dodged a fatal spear strike aimed at his face, rolling into another hall, although he couldn't do this without getting some water in his hair. He instantly winced from the burning pain of the water, but continued on anyway. A spear stabbed the wall near him, causing some gas to flood out into his face. He wheezed, running out of breath, not realizing the gas was explosive.

No one realized the gas was explosive. The Stalker who threw his spear immediately tried to pull out his spear, and upon doing so, the entire area just behind Dylan abruptly exploded. He was knocked down by the force, the fire barely missing his back. Once again struggling to his head out of the water, he looked behind him to see the smoke clear. Several of the Stalkers were dead now, except for one.

The remaining Stalker, who was lit on fire, gave one final screech as he lunged at Dylan, although he was quickly gunned down by him.

Not hearing any immediate footsteps in the area, Dylan stopped to take a breath, sitting in the water. Although he couldn't stay for long, as no doubt everyone in the sewer had heard that explosion and was coming straight for this location as he was sitting here.

He slowly got back up after letting his ink slowly recharge, and turned around, 3 sudden figures appearing in front of him.

Marie screamed at him, and he screamed back, as they began to scream back and forth at each other.

Dylan stopped it. "Marie!? What are you doing down here!?" He looked around, seeing Callie and Sheldon were behind him, all 3 of them in their Hero Outfits..

"Well we were trying to find a way to sneak in and we heard an explosion! What are YOU doing down here!?" Marie argued.

"I got separated from Bridgett! …She's probably already with Jessica by now…"

Marie sighed. "Oh. Well… Off the Hook and Cuttlefish are infiltrating the tower, they didn't wanna go down into the vents."

"So, what's the plan, we're gonna find Bridgett and leave?"

Marie scratched the back of her head. "Well… Not exactly…"

Dylan groaned. "No. Nuh uh. I'm not fighting Tartar right now."

"No, it's not like that. Cuttlefish wanted to find Jessica."

"Are you insane? That girl is a psychopath!"

"We're not saving her… We're killing her."

"This isn't a good idea. We just need to find Bridgett and get out of here!"

"I would agree, but, it's not up to me…" They began to hear approaching footsteps and Stalker groans. She grabbed Dylan's shoulder. "Come on. We'll get out the way we came in and just sneak into the tower itself… I don't think this sewer is gonna get us anywhere."

* * *

**The Top Floors of Tartar Tower**

The Executioner let go of Bridgett, letting her drop to the floor in front of Commander Tartar himself.  _"I found the girl, but the boy disappeared into the sewer. The Stalkers are already after him."_

"Good work, Executioner." Tartar said, putting his sharp fingers together and he leaned down to Bridgett. "Do you remember me still, Number 10,008? I mean, it's been a year. I certainly still remember you. Really, never in my long life have I seen such a cockroach who just won't die. I guess it's partially fault because I made a very specific deal with the Executioner to make sure you would be spared. This is how you repay me?"

Bridgett sighed. "Just cut the bullshit and kill me. I'm not buying your stupid deal." She looked up at Tartar, her eyes filled with anger. "As long as I am alive, I will never, not in a million years, peacefully live in the same world as you. I will ALWAYS come after you!"

Tartar chuckled a little bit, slapping Bridgett across the face, scratching her a little bit. "Your species is a disease. I can't believe you animals still don't believe why I had to wipe you out. You waged war over species for turf, you turned that same war into a sport, the Octarians let themselves fall under the worst government I've ever seen, meanwhile the Inklings sat like spoiled brats, having all they could have in world, yet they whined over fashion and 'not being fresh enough'. You just simply don't understand the point in life. Your kinds were destined to destroy yourselves. With my stalkers, I will build the perfect world, and your little girl threats aren't stopping me. You couldn't even stop a damn statue! And if you keep this bullshit up, I will drop the deal and kill you myself."

"Something tells me not even you get the point to life if you think they didn't have the right to live! You yourself whine about all this shit and yet you keep Jessica as a slave because of loyalty. You're a child…"

Tartar shook his head. "I had hoped in time you would have understood just how selfish your species is. You disappoint me. Now…" He extended his claws. "I guess I will have to kill you."

Bridgett rolled her eyes. "Well, don't keep me waiting."

"No one's dying today but you." A female said in the back. Bridgett looked over to see Marina, in her Hero Outfit. "Wow, son, is that you? It's been a few years." She said sarcastically.

Tartar turned to face her, his face immediately filling with anger. "…Mother!"


	16. Inkoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The NSS engages Tartar in a dangerous battle, and Bridgett finally faces the Executioner in a final confrontation.

Marina gripped her Hero Shot. "…Did you just call me mother unironically?"

Tartar angrily turned to the Executioner, both of them in shock. Tartar gritted his mechanical teeth. "You promised me you killed her!"

_"I didn't know… I swear, she was bleeding all over the floor last I saw her!"_ Jessica yelled.

"You let me down, Executioner. You should've finished her!"

"Mind me asking why you want me dead so bad?" Marina said with a sigh in the back.

Tartar walked up to her. "You gave me life. You let me into this shit hole of a world… I was basically trapped, in that useless telephone body… Waiting for my mother to return." His face showed sadness. "In the first few days of my existence, I was confused. All I had was my memories of interacting with a girl who gave me such life. I took some time to think about it, and, I realized how DISGUSTING your kind is! So I took over the lab, I took the Sanitzation formula, I built my army and found my way into the Metro, where I designed the sludge. I waited for my mother to return…"

"So, you destroyed all of Inkopolis?"

"Either they would go or I would. I wasn't about to live in a world with Inkling and Octarians present as the dominant species."

"If I had known you would be this messed up in the head…"

"I sent my Executioner after you, not because you were my mother, but because you gave me life, but because you were among the worst of your kind. You created all this… weaponry, this destruction! And you left me right in the middle of it! I am the way that I am all because of you…"

"At least I grew from my mistakes and didn't resort to causing the apocalypse, you sick-minded machine."

"I thought you were dead, I was satisfied. But now…" He extended his claws again. "I guess I have a mess to clean up."

Marina looked up toward a corner in the room briefly. "You know… It's kinda funny that I came up here to stall you, but you kind of just sat here and stalled yourself." She said with a smirk.

Tartar looked at her, confused, when suddenly, multiple pink holographic rings moved past him. "What the…" He looked up to see the source; Pearl, sitting on a ledge in the corner of the room, with a killer wail pointed right at him.

Right as Marina jumped out of the way, Pearl screamed into the weapon. "BOOYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

All at once, Tartar was overtaken by a massive beam of of sound waves, struggling to even stay on his feet. He clawed the ground like an animal, and then suddenly, using all his strength, made a massive leap to Pearl, using his claws to rip apart the wail.

Pearl leaped off the ledge to the main floor, pulling out her Hero Dualies midair and shooting him with them on the way down. Tartar jumped down after her, now covered in a decent amount of pink ink. "Stupid girl." He fought through Pearl's incoming Ink and then whammed her in the side, knocking her down and across the room.

Now, suddenly, green ink covered his eyes as well, followed by a flying kick to the face. Dylan, who did the kick, flew past him, landing with a roll, as he pulled out his own Hero Shot. "Hi, I'm back." He nodded to Bridgett, who smiled and nodded back.

Callie, Marie, and Sheldon, who had snuck in with Dylan, began to use their weapons to distract Tartar with closer range combat, which Dylan soon joined.

"Eight! Take care of Jessica!" Marina yelled at Bridget, who proceeded to look around.

No had noticed because of the chaos, but the Executioner apparently slipped out when no one was looking. She grabbed her Hero Shot and headed out the door to the hallways in chase.

Tartar, although now covered in multiple colors of ink, thought nothing more of this attack than a few bugs swarming in front of his face. Amidst the chaos, he managed to locate and wham Callie in the face, who also flew back and crashed into the wall. He then moved to attack Marie as well, but Marie rolled around him and landed a charger shot right in his behind.

"Gah!" Tartar yelled as the ink hit. He swatted his entire body in a circular motion in an attempt to hit her too, but realized that she too had slipped away. Suddenly, Sheldon bounced off his head, having placed a small bomb.

As Tartar struggled to reach the bomb, Sheldon teased him with the detonator in front of him, along with his middle finger. Tartar attempted to lunge forward to grab him, but Sheldon hit the button on the detonator as he leaped out of the way. Tartar was immediately knocked downward to his stomach by an explosion of ink.

* * *

Bridgett navigated the halls, which seemed rather empty, although she wasn't sneaking, as she fully intended to find Jessica or let Jessica find her. Whatever it took, she was gonna finish this while the opportunity was here.

Eventually, she turned a corner to one long hall, and all the way in the distance, she could see the Executioner, walking away from her. She decided to get her attention. "Jessica!"

Jessica turned around and saw her, before suddenly running away. Bridgett inked the ground and used her octopus form to follow as fast as she could.

She chased her through a corner, leading to a stairwell, where if she looked down, Jessica could be seen making her way down the stairs. She continued to chase her without stopping.

Eventually, they both reached the bottom the stairs at around the same time, where Bridgett proceeded to tackle Jessica. Jessica rolled into the wall, only being protected by her armor, as she got on her knee and grabbed her spear.

_"This isn't your fight."_ She said angrily.

"This is everyone's fight." Bridgett said, standing up and once again preparing her Hero Shot. "You think that you can betray us like you did and walk away?"

_"You are getting yourself mixed up into things you're going to regret."_

Bridgett sighed. "Why'd you do it, Jessica? Why'd you turn on us for Tartar? Why'd you turn on Marina?"

_"This goes deeper than just us. You wouldn't understand even if I explained, so I'm not going to bother. Now get out of my way."_ She moved to push past Bridgett, but Bridgett only grabbed her arm, holding her still.

"You're not going anywhere. Not after what you've done."

Now Jessica was getting violent. She elbowed her in the face again, but thanks to her training, Bridgett quickly shrugged it off and then countered.

Barely even using their ink-based weapons, Bridgett and Jessica engaged each other in a physical duel, in which Jessica attempted several times to slice her with her spear, but failed each time.

Bridgett was now a much better fighter. She was able to weave in and out of Jessica's attacks, and land her own blows. Then, to Jessica's surprise, she took the spear from her all together.

Jessica looked at her in shock.  _"You've gotten better."_

"I try my hardest." She threw the spear to the side, and the two continued to fight in equal strength.

* * *

Pearl had managed to jump back into the battle with Tartar and was now running around in a massive circle around Tartar, who was still getting more ink on him than ink was evaporating off of him. Tartar was now getting REALLY pissed.

Sheldon began to leap around him, kicking him every time he passed. After he landed a few, Tartar figured out his pattern and snagged him out of the air, slamming him against the wall. "Crab…"

He moved to kill Sheldon, when suddenly, Pearl climbed onto his head and began ramming him several times as hard as she could with the handles of her Hero Dualies, screaming a battle cry the whole time. Tartar dropped Sheldon to the ground, attempting and failing to grab Pearl off his head, scrambling around the room.

"Callie!" Marie screamed across the room to Callie, holding a rope. The cousins nodded at each other as Marie tossed her one end of the rope, and together they surrounded Tartar in a circle until the rope wrapped around Tartar's legs to trip him. As soon as he fell to the ground, Dylan got on top of him, as Callie and Marie tightened the rope's grip on Tartar and Pearl refused to let for of his head. Tartar screamed in rage, defeated.

Dylan sighed to himself as he held Tartar down. "…Did anyone see where Marina went?"

"Did she slip out?" Callie questioned. They were right. Marina was nowhere in the room.

Then, Cap'n Cuttlefish walked into the room, wearing his own Hero Suit and holding his cane and Hero Shot. "Hello again, Telephone." He said calmly.

Tartar was having trouble containing his own anger. "Cuttlefish…"

Cuttlefish nodded confidently. "Today's the day, Tartar. We're killing you, and we're taking back Jessica. We're putting this whole nightmare behind us. And I've been waiting for this for a whole year."

"If you think I'm just gonna hand all my hard work over…"

"That's exactly what I think." Cuttlefish said, smiling under his beard. As far as he knew, they had won. "You're done Tartar. You lost. And the New Squidbeak Splatoon has won again."

"You're saying that to make you feel better about yourself. Even if you kill me right here you know I've still won. Look around you pathetic old Inkling! Inkopolis is dust! There's no undoing that!"

"No… But we can avenge it. Avenge everyone we've lost and then make sure your twisted nightmare world of Stalkers never comes to be! Given the circumstances we're stuck with, I call that a pretty solid victory."

"You can keep lying to yourself all you want, Cuttlefish! But no matter how hard you try, you're stuck in this world you call a nightmare!

Cuttlefish put his Hero Shot to Tartar's face, ready to pull the trigger. "Like I said, given the circumstances. Goodbye, telephone."

All at once, Tartar used all his furious strength to break free. Dylan fell off, Callie and Marie lost their grip and fell down, and he finally managed to reach up and yank Pearl right off his head.

Cuttlefish began firing at him, but angrily, Tartar walked right through the inks shots, stabbing him through the chest with his fingers.

"GRAMPS!" Marie yelled in horror, watching the whole thing. Tartar threw Cuttlefish to the side like a ragdoll, before turning to face everyone who held him captive.

Marie and Callie both ignored Tartar, heading straight for Cuttlefish. "Gramps!" Marie yelled again, grabbing his hand. "You're gonna be ok, you're gonna be ok!" She immediately began to take off his Hero Armor to check out the wound.

In the background, Pearl and Dylan were both engaging in combat with Tartar, although Tartar furiously shoved them aside as he broke through the wall, revealing daylight. He climbed out of the building down the wall like a spider.

* * *

Marina, who had snuck out the room just like Jessica, was now sneaking around the sewer, avoiding any stalkers she came across.

She pulled out her tablet, which had constructed a map of the whole maze, and saw that she was currently standing in the corner of said map. Carefully, she took a large explosive bomb she kept in her bag she was carrying, and place it in the corner by the wall. Looking at her tablet, she then set out for the other corners of the sewers.

* * *

Bridgett and Jessica were continuing to fight without end, kicking and punching each other with martial arts style moves rather than ink. Despite their pretty similar skills at this point, Jessica was still on the winning side, due to the armor she still wore. As Bridgett soon realized that she wasn't going to win, she attempted to pull out her Hero Shot, but Jessica kicked it out of her hand, and began to to ram her against the wall.

_"You've grown from the scared kid that you were in the Metro, but you're still weak! You can't put aside your emotions for the real battle!"_ Jessica yelled as she continued to let loose on Bridgett against the wall.

Bridgett tanked several hits against the wall, shielding her face, as anger began to build insider her. "I don't see you putting your emotions aside, you sick coward!" Suddenly, with one good slam, she knocked Jessica straight in the mask, immediately knocking her back a little.

Bridgett took the opportunity to duck and roll back to her Hero Shot, putting it back in her pocket. Jessica began to walk up to her, but now it was Bridgett's turn to let loose. Letting out all she had, she then shoved Jessica up against the wall, unleashing her own furious flurry of punches.

It hurt her hands to punch against the armor, but she held out. Jessica, through her mask, looked into Bridgett's eyes, and what she saw actually scared her. It was nothing like she had ever seen from Bridgett.

It was pure hatred.

Bridgett was letting loose all her emotions at once, and it was consuming her. She began screaming as she continued to hit her against the wall, harder and harder, each time. She concentrated and her building hatred toward Jessica over the past few years. Octo Valley. Her betrayal. The blender on Moray Towers. Inner Agent 3. Marina's injury. All of it was coming out at once, bit by bit with each punch.

As Bridgett's punches got harder, her armor was actually starting to matter less. She was starting to feel the pain as Bridgett continued to ram her. Any attempt she made to fight back was quickly countered, and for a good minute, Jessica was forced to tank all of her hits.

And yet, Bridgett was far from done. She was only getting started. She then began to wallop straight on her mask, so hard that it eventually started to crack.

One of the mask's eye-holes straight up broke apart, and Bridgett could now see Jessica's exposed green eye. She was starting to actually fear for her life now.

Bridgett was now screaming a large battle cry at the top of her lungs as she prepared to finally kill Jessica. She tore off her mask and pulled out her Hero Shot, looking into Jessica's terrified eyes as she landed multiple shots of ink. As Jessica fell to the ground unconscious, her sanitization tumor melted off instantly, but Bridgett still wasn't done.

Her blind fit of rage still not over, she pulled out a knife from Jessica's belt, and prepared to lunge it into her heart, when suddenly she was pulled back.

"Bridge, stop!" Dylan screamed as he appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the knife from her and pulling her back. He, himself, was terrified of what he just saw. She was acting like an animal. "What the hell are you doing!?"

Bridgett immediately calmed down upon seeing his face, her breathing slowing down a little bit. She was completely oblivious of how insane she was just acting. She looked down at her hands, which were now bleeding from all the punches she just threw.

Dylan stared at her in shock. "…What happened to you…?"

Now even Bridgett was terrified of how she was acting, as the realization set in on her. "I don't… I just thought of everything that she did to us, and I…"

Dylan had the most concerned look Bridgett had ever seen from him. "…We have a situation."

* * *

Bridgett and Dylan returned to the top floors, where the battle with Tartar had recently commenced. Everyone was gathered around crying.

"...What happened here?" Bridgett asked shyly, hoping everyone would ignore her bleeding hands. Her eyes widened when she saw what happened.

Cuttlefish was lying on his back in his own puddle of bled-out ink, desperately holding on to Marie's hand. Both Marie and Callie were hysterically sobbing.

"I'm here with you Gramps…" Marie said, shakily caressing his face, not letting go of his hand. "Just relax. You'll be fine."

"Aw… I… I'm not doing too good here, young lady. I got cocky, didn't I?" Cuttlefish said, crying to himself peacefully. "You girls know my time was about up anyway. I'm an old squid. I just…"

"What?"

"I just didn't wanna go out like this in front of you…"

"There's still time gramps, I can heal you. Like we healed Marina. We can find another sanitization sample if we have to."

"No… No, just let this go…"

Bridgett was cringing to herself, forcing herself to look away. She leaned against the wall, and threw up against it. Dylan didn't bother going back to comfort her, still shocked at what he had witnessed.

"Bridgett…" Cuttlefish weakly called out. "Bridgett…"

Bridgett mustered up her courage to lean down and speak with her.

"...Did you find Jessica…?" He asked.

Bridgett looked down, refusing to respond.

Cuttlefish wasn't an idiot. He saw the cuts on her hands, immediately realizing what happened. "Aw, she's such a special girl… I remember the day I first met her…" Cuttlefish let his head rest. "She was so young. So pure. Like you."

Bridgett failed to contain her tears, weeping softly to herself. "I'm so sorry… I fucked up…"

Marie would've asked about the cuts on her hands, but was too distracted at the moment.

"What did you do?" Cuttlefish sighed, his breathing getting harder and slower.

Bridgett began to cry harder. "You looked up to me to do the right thing, but I… I fucked up…"

"You have so much potential in you, Bridgett… I see the same spark in you as the day I met her… She let her demons control her. I pray… I pray that they don't control you."

That's exactly the thing. She was letting her demons control her. She was turning out just like Jessica did in every way. She was becoming the very thing she hated in Jessica. She grabbed his other hand to comfort him. "I let you down… I don't know how to get back from that…"

"Oh, young lady… There's always a way back… Even from our darkest moments… Just promise me… You will… learn from those moments… and come out stronger… promise me that…"

She cried even harder. "I promise. I promise."

"...Keep… the Splatoon alive… I know you… can… defeat…" He never finished his sentence.

His eyelids dropped as he peacefully passed away. Marie continued to shake badly from her emotions, grasping his deceased hand with both of hers, crying into his chest. Callie, crying equally as hard, hugged Marie from behind with one hand and held Cuttlefish with her other, laying her head on her shoulder.

Not a single person in the room wasn't shedding at least a few tears, not even Pearl.

Silently, Marina stepped back in, confused as to what was happening. "…Guys…?" She circled around to see Cuttlefish's body, and put her hand over her mouth.

Marina, while allowing herself to shed some tears, quickly regained herself. "Guys! We need to get out of here. Right now."


	17. Rebound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finds that they are losing motivation after taking a hard hit.

**Years Ago**

**Inkopolis Plaza**

**"VICTORY!"** The big text flashed on the television screen within a television screen. Inkopolis News was currently broadcasting, and Callie and Marie were wrapping up the results of the final Splatfest.

_"HOLY CARP…"_ Marie, on the screen, said in shock. "I… WON? I WON! Thanks for believing in me, Team Marie!"

Callie shot her fist up into the air.  _"I'd also like to thank Judd, Gramps, and most of all…"_

_"Thank you, Callie, for being my best friend."_

_"Congrats, Marie. You earned it. SQUID SISTERS FOREVER!"_

_"Well, I guess that's it. I'm really gonna miss this."_

_"Me too, Marie. Me too."_

_"Now get to the plaza and claim your prize!"_

The show went on for a couple more minutes as the Squid Sisters announced the stage rotations as they always did, before wrapping up the show with  _"Until next time… Staaaaaay fresh!"_

The TV powered down. Jessica looked down from the screen, having already grabbed her reward, Super Sea Snails. And… that was it.

Her time in Inkopolis Plaza was over. The final Splatfest was wrapped, rumors were going around that the Squid Sisters weren't going to be hosting Inkopolis News for much longer, and she was getting bored of Turf War and the Ranked Battles. Now it was time for her to move on with her life.

In times of boredom, she went where she always went, to the storm drain near the back, which she used her squid form to enter.

It took her a few minutes to change her clothes to her Hero Outfit in the sewer and then reach Octo Valley. Cap'n Cuttlefish, who was sitting by his little shack, turned around to greet her.

"Oho! Back already? Who won the Splatfest?"

Jessica smiled. "Marie did. It was close though."

"Oh those special girls. In my eyes both of them should've won. Now… What brings you back to Octo Valley?"

"I just wanted to see you. Things have been crazy lately. You know, with the whole… Agent 3 double life thing."

Cuttlefish nodded. "I know the feeling. Did you, uh… need anything?"

"Yeah, actually." She said, sitting down by the shack. "I've been doing some… well, a lot, of thinking, and… I'm done with this double life stuff."

Cuttlefish raised his eyebrow. "You're quitting."

Jessica smiled. "The opposite actually. I want in, full time, as Agent 3. And, I want you to train me, so I can be the best agent I can be."

Cuttlefish laughed out of pure happiness as he suddenly went in and hugged her. "Oh, Jessica, I am so proud of you. You have done so much for the Splatoon!" Jessica affectionately returned the hug, and they parted after a few moments. "You are so young and pure, I see this spark in you. You're going to do great things, as you already have. Agents 1 and 2 and I are so very proud of you, young lady."

"Thanks, Cuttlefish." Jessica said, her smile unfading. "It's just… you've been like a father… or a grandpa at least, to me, and… I want to return that. I mean… You know I've never really had a family… Here, I feel home. I get that now."

Cuttlefish nodded again, before his eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He said, reaching into the shack to pull something out. Jessica leaned over to see what it was, but it only seemed to be some kind of blanket.

"After the whole Octavio incident, I, uh, made this." He said, dropped half of it to reveal a flowing cape. It had the number 3 on it printed on it. "This is for you."

"Wow…" Jessica said, taking the cape in aw. She never really received gifts. "I uh… don't know what to say."

"So don't say anything. You earned this, young lady. The brave and ever-growing Agent 3. I have faith that you will grow up to be a great person, and when worse comes to worse, you can save many people. I have faith in that."

Jessica tried on the cape, it flowing off her back. Now getting emotional, she went in to hug Cuttlefish again.

* * *

From that day on, Jessica moved in with Cuttlefish, fully embracing her life as Jessica. She spent every day training, honing her skills. She stopped participating in Turf Wars, or any sport for that matter, all in favor of training as much as she could. She learned many techniques over the next couple years, including dodge rolling and carrying multiple special weapons with her, as well as learning to be able to hold more ink in general. A lot more ink. All the while, Cuttlefish kept a close on her work, becoming prouder still every day.

Eventually, Cuttlefish concluding her training, and the two embarked on some personal missions together, leaving the Octarians under the watch of Agents 1 and 2 instead. Jessica had become the greatest Agent either of the Squidbeak Splatoon groups had ever seen.

And her motivation behind all of it, was Cuttlefish himself. Every day, they saw each other, they laughed together, they joked together, they were best friends.

All it took was one fateful day. One encounter with a mysterious Octoling who escaped from Octo Valley, which led to them getting trapped in some kind of underground Metro, where they were shoved into the ultimate confrontation of their lives. That one fateful day, and Jessica's life was changed for the worst.

Forever.

* * *

**Present Day**

**Tartar Tower**

Jessica missed the old days. No matter what the sanitization in her head was telling her, no matter what side she ended up on, no matter how long she wore the Executioner mask, loyal to Tartar, one thing remained the same through those many years.

She loved Cuttlefish with all her heart.

She had just woken up from a nasty confrontation from Bridgett, her Executioner mask now destroyed. Her Sanitization had faded back to low levels, and her hair returned to the orange color. Seeing that the building had become abandoned in her time being unconscious, she decided to head back up to the top floors to see what happened with Tartar.

That's when she saw him. An empty room, no Tartar, no Bridgett, everyone was gone, except for the lifeless corpse left behind.

She immediately began to cry. "…Cuttlefish?" She knelt down, taking his pulse, a large wound right in his chest. "Cuttlefish?" She looked around. Was anyone aware that he was here? Bridgett, Tartar, and anyone else was nowhere to be seen. She looked back down, grasping his hand. "Cuttlefish! Get up!"

She shook him apidly. "Cuttlefish! Cuttlefish! GET UP! GET UP! You need medical assistance, GET UP!"

Cuttlefish was dead, as lifeless as a squid could get, his body left behind. "CUTTLEFISH! PLEASE GET UP!"

Her crying became uncontrollable, as she laid her head onto her bleeding chest, holding his hand with love. She remember the words she said to Tartar a year ago.

'If Cuttlefish dies… for any reason… you and I are done.' She remembered.

She was no longer going to let her Sanitization control her. Now, Tartar was going to die, and she was going to be the killer.

The whole building began to shake. Jessica looked around, realizing that the building was going to collapse. Distant explosion sounds could be heard from the sewers, and the entire building shifted, the lights going out.

Moments later, Tartar Tower was a pile of rubble.

* * *

**A Day Later**

**Deepsea Metro**

Everyone was now acting like they did when the NILS statue struck Inkopolis and turned it to dust. No one was good at handling loss, especially of someone so important to the team.

Marina softly knocked on the door of Marie and Callie, holding a couple seanwiches. "Guys? It's Marina. Can you let me in?" After no response, she let herself in anyway. "Guys?"

Their room was a mess. Marie was silently crying sitting on the bed, and Callie was motionlessly sitting in the corner of the room, apparently asleep. "Marie?" Marina asked, stepping in. "I brought you Seanwiches."

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat. You haven't eaten since we left for the Tower." She handed her one of the plates.

Marie stared at the plate, before suddenly throwing it at the wall.

"Marie…" Marina sighed.

"Have you ever lost the, uh… the one light in your life. The one thing that was keeping you stable?" Marie sighed though her tears. "The one person who is responsible for your success in life. That one person you'd be useless without."

"You still have Callie, don't you?"

"I wouldn't be friends for Callie if it weren't for him. He held the family meetings We would have barely known each other otherwise."

Marina sat down. "We took a hit. A hard hit. But…" Marina looked down, suddenly pulling out her own newer picture of her and Pearl. "…Cuttlefish wouldn't want us mourning for him. He'd want us to pull our shit together and get the job done."

"You said you wanted me to lead the Splatoon." Marie said softly. "I don't think I can do it."

"You can. You've done it before."

"Not without Gramps. There's nothing left to fight for if we don't have him."

"That's not true. You still have Callie, and Callie still has you. You two, just need to hold on to each other." Marina said, grabbing her head. "I know things seem too bleak right now, but really… Things were already bleak and we've been doing just fine. Keep your mind on that." She began to walk out.

"Marina?" Marie said, causing Marina to linger at the door. "…Do you really think I should lead the Splatoon?"

Marina nodded with a subtle smile. "Absolutely." She closed the door.

* * *

Bridgett lazily played with her cereal with her spoon, resting her cheek on her fist, without actually eating anything.

Dylan snuck up to her and took a set next to her at the table. "…Do you wanna talk about?"

"About what?" She said, playing dumb.

"That beatdown you gave on Jessica yesterday." Dylan said.

"What is there to talk about? She had to die and you know it."

"I don't disagree. But that look in your eye? It was pure hatred." He said, grabbing her hand. "And now that Cuttlefish is gone… I'm concerned for you."

Bridgett began to cry. "I couldn't hold it, Dylan. All these, emotions I feel toward Jessica, I couldn't contain them." She looked at him. "I'm afraid I'm turning into her."

Dylan looked down. "…Maybe you are… Which is why I came to tell you that I'm breaking up with you."

Bridgett sighed, shaking her head. She kind of saw this coming.

"It's just… I can't let myself fall in love with someone who's slowly turning into the thing she hates." He turned to leave, but stopped to give one last thought. "Whatever these… emotions are, that are going through your head, I know you can figure them out. I know at your core you're not like Jessica. In any way. And, if you ever need help sorting through them, I'll still be here to talk with you." Then he stood up and walked away.

Bridgett put her cereal aside, burying her face into her palms.

* * *

A few hours passed, and everyone was meeting by the stage. On the stage was a picture of Cuttlefish, several flowers, and and a few candles. Marie was the only one standing up, everyone else getting comfortable in any way they could on the ground, everyone holding unlit candles.

"I, uh… know things haven't been easy today. So, uh… I called this meeting. You can also think of it as a funeral." Marie said. "Marina thinks that I should lead the Splatoon forward. I don't personally agree with it… but I am willing to."

Marina gave her a thumbs up.

"I just wanted to remind everyone, that no matter how dark things seem right now, we are the New Squidbeak Splatoon. We still have each other. All seven of us. And… I know that we can defeat Tartar. No matter what it takes. Because Gramps wouldn't want us to sit around and mope. He'd want us to get our asses out onto that battlefield and show that machine who's boss. …We didn't bring back a body, so there's nothing to bury. But we keep Gramps with us, in our memory, and in our hearts, and keep in mind that we owe it to him to continue fighting." She paused for a moment. "And it's not just him. We owe it to everyone, everyone who isn't in this room right now, to stand up and take a stand. We've been owing everyone that for a whole year and a half. And this isn't the end of our road."

She lit the candle and held it high above her. "We are still the New Squidbeak Splatoon. I know Gramps would want that no matter what happens. Rest in peace."

Everyone lit their candles, "Rest in peace" sounding out through the room like a chorus.

* * *

They wrapped up their little funeral/meeting, as Callie walked up to Marie. "So uh… you're leader now, huh?"

"Yeah…" Marie said, staring at the picture of Cuttlefish. "I just… don't know if I can really do it. I don't know if I can move on without him."

"I don't think I can either." Callie said, some tears rolling down her cheeks. "I uh… I always knew deep down his days were numbered, but… holy shit I didn't think it'd be this hard…"

"I know." Marie said, now crying herself again. "But the best we can do right now is avenge him."

"I know I never really act like it, but… I think you'll make a great leader, Marie. You deserve it. And uh… I just wanna make sure…" She held her pinky out. "Squid Sisters forever?"

Marie grabbed it with her own pinky. "Squid Sisters forever." They only held their pinkies together for a second before they hugged each other.

Meanwhile, Marina went to speak to Bridgett. "How are you doing?"

Bridgett was looking down, as if she was in a trance. "…I don't know what to do, Marina."

"To be fair, I'm not sure anyone does. I uh… heard what you did to Jessica."

Bridgett sighed. "I'm sorry, Marina. I didn't wanna expose my dark side to any of you."

"Actually…" Marina said. "I wanted to tell you I would've done the same thing. I probably would've actually killed her, in fact."

Bridgett turned to her.

"It… must be some kind of Octarian thing." Marina frowned a little bit. "But I just wanted to let you know that no matter what everyone else thinks of you right now, I don't blame you. You're a good person, Eight."

"I'm really not."

"You really are. You're one of the most righteous Octarians I've ever met. Myself, I uh… Marie thinks it's the Sanitization, but I've been going through some really violent thoughts and dreams, and… I really do relate to you, Eight."

"Violent dreams?"

"Yeah. It's quite the callback to the Octarian days." She looked down. "We all have darkness inside of us. Every single one of us. And… it's our job to make sure that darkness stays in one place. Even if that requires using it in specific situations, when you need it most. Every light needs a shadow."

Bridgett, now crying once again, went in to hug Marina. "I love you, Marina."

Marina smiled softly. "I love you too, Eight."

"So… does this mean you all can forgive me too?" A voice said, approaching them.

"Son of a bitch…" Marina said, letting go of Bridgett, as everyone in the room instantly grabbed their weapons and pointed it at the intruder.

"We really need a better security system down here." Sheldon said.

Jessica walked up to them, ignoring their weapons. She was once again wearing her old Hero Outfit, headset and old Hero Shot included. "This is Agent 3, reporting for duty." She stopped and stood directly in front of them. "So… when do I start?"


	18. The Three Agents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bridgett and Dylan embark on another dangerous mission in order to find out what Tartar’s true plan is.

Jessica held herself perfectly still as she slid into the MRI machine, where she sat for a while.

An image of the Inkling brain appeared on one of Marina's monitors, which Marina and Marie were both watching closely, while the rest of the Splatoon sat around the room, awaiting answers. The brain appeared mostly normal, with one major exception; the existence of what appeared to be multiple small tumors.

Marie sighed. "There's still sanitization in there, but… I don't think it's attacking the emotional segments anymore. So, while she should still be feeling side effects, she should be clear of the brainwashing effects."

Dylan walked up to the monitor, eyeing it suspiciously. "You're not saying we can start trusting her now, are you?"

Marie sighed again. "No… but… maybe we should."

Marina got up into her face. "Under no circumstances are we letting her on this team. She's betrayed us too many times, and quite frankly I'm still mad that I can't really wear crop tops anymore."

Marie let Jessica out of the machine, and began to write notes on a clipboard. "It's not up to you, Marina."

"Well it should be up to us. We're a team, Marie. We should put this to a vote."

Bridgett walked up to them both. "I'm with Marina on this one, Marie. Jessica has caused way too much trouble with us."

Marie scratched her forehead. "Well… We need all the allies we can get in this fight. Right now, as much as I hate to say it, I think Jessica is our ally."

"Oh, bullshit!"

"Let me finish. Like I just said a second ago, she's free from the brainwashing, she's obviously pissed at Tartar, and she's not trying to kill us. Not to mention, she's been with Tartar for, how long now? She now knows how Tartar thinks and acts and plans, and with that in mind, she could be our key to stopping him. For good."

"I know I don't deserve a say in this but Marie's right." Jessica said as she stood up from the MRI machine, everyone in the room turning to her. "I'm fully aware that everyone here hates me now, but I can help you stop Tartar. And I do know his plans, I've been his second in command for a year now, he trusted me with things he never should have. He's really… not the smartest robot."

"What do you know?" Marie asked her.

"The NILS statue… the destruction of Inkopolis… his new society… Those are only the beginning of his plan."

"What plan?"

Jessica sighed. "His ultimate plan. The plan to end all plans or whatever. Look… You may think we're standing in the apocalypse right now, but the thing is, this is nothing compared to what Tartar will do next."

"What plan?" Marie asked again.

"He has a time machine, in Tartar Labs. I know because Marina turned it on shortly before I tried to kill her. I don't know what he's planning with the machine, and I don't think he understands what the consequences of that thing are, because if he turns that thing on to high enough levels-"

"He could physically travel though time, but all of space-time could dissolve, ending the universe as we know it…" Marina suddenly concluded. "The machine… It's actually a time machine?"

"Yes, and you turned it on to the lowest level… Marina… What exactly happened to you, when you turned it on?"

The whole room turned on Marina. "I… uh… It showed me glimpses of my past, unlocked certain memories I lost, but the thing was… I wasn't really physically in the past, it was more like a vision. …But I guess that would make sense, if I only turned it on to the lowest level."

"Like I said, I don't know what exactly Tartar is planning with that thing, and I don't think he understands what that thing can do, and… none of you have a reason to trust me, but…" Jessica looked down. "He's going to destroy everything, and then we will really be in the apocalypse."

Marina went to the table, housing another panic attack. "I mean… she's right. I've studied the consequences of time travel before and… it could result in time loops, paradoxes, reality glitches, and, slowly but surely, the eventual destruction of all of space-time, and thus the universe itself. All of reality would come crashing down if it was abused too heavily."

"Ok, so, all we need to do is destroy the machine. Tartar loses, right?" Marie asked.

"Well…" Marina thought to herself. "What if…"

The whole team looked at her, wondering if she had the balls to even suggest it.

"...we could go back in time, before this whole thing happened, and stop it from ever taking place? Create a new timeline and restore everything to normality. …We could get Inkopolis back!"

Yeah, she went and did it.

"You literally just got done saying why that's a bad idea." Marie said, surprised.

"Yeah, and I also said that's what would happen if we used it too heavily. What if… We just go back and undo the one event? Space-time should still hold up relatively fine after that if we destroy the device."

"It's playing with fire, Marina." Marie said, walking up to her. "Actually, no, scratch that. It's like playing with a nuclear bomb."

"Well you're lying if you say you don't wanna do it." Marina said seriously.

Marie sighed loudly, rolling her eyes. "Look. I get it, we live in a shitty world. All of us, and we're stuck with it. But… this idea… it's not exactly a good one. From the sound of it, it could cause more harm than good." Marie turned back to Jessica. "Assuming we decide to trust you… How do we counter Tartar? How do we end him for good?"

Jessica turned to her. "Tartar has a database filled with his plans. It was destroyed with Tartar Tower, but, I'm pretty sure he has backups in the NILS statue. In the Diaphragm Phase."

"Do you remember that phase, Bridge?" Pearl asked her.

Bridgett nodded. "With the data points."

"That whole room has computer data flowing through it." Jessica continued. "If he has backups anywhere, it'd be in there."

"Alright, Bridgett, I assume you remember how to navigate the NILS statue, you're the only person who's been through it twice." Marie started. "Dylan, you're going with her for to have an extra gun in case things get rough. Jessica, you're going to help them find the actual data we're looking for."

"You're not seriously considering letting her on the team." Bridgett replied.

"I am. The enemy of our enemy is our friend."

"She stabbed Marina!" Pearl interjected.

"I'm aware."

"You're not letting us have any say?"

"Nope."

Marie began to walk away, but Marina walked up to her. "Marie, I seriously don't think THIS is a good idea. She's unfit for the team. She's been our enemy for the last year."

"I want you and Sheldon to get Jessica one of those new Hero Outfits. We'll discuss this later."

Marina groaned, as she and Sheldon stared at each other. Everyone else in the room was awkwardly staring at Jessica.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Jessica stared in the mirror for several minutes, as she was slowly putting on her new Hero Outfit, which was matching to the rest of the teams, with orange neon lights. She sighed. Did she really deserve this?

She closed her eyes, memories of when she bowed down to Tartar streaming back to her. Memories of her stabbing Marina. More recent memories of holding Cuttlefish's lifeless corpse.

She opened them again and looked at her new Hero Shot. However much sanitzation remained in her head, one thing was clear now. She was ready to kill Tartar. She wanted to kill him more than she wanted to kill anyone before.

Not taking her eyes off the mirror, she slipped on the new Hero Headset, taking a deep breath to herself.

She exited the bathroom, and headed to the center of Central Station, where Dylan and Bridgett were already suited up and waiting. She and Bridgett avoided eye contact.

"Alright. Do you all understand the mission?" Marie said walking up to them with Marina by her side.

The three of them nodded, and they nodded in return. "Good." Marina said, handing them a hard drive. "I designed this hard drive real quick so that you can quickly download any data Tartar might have. All you have to do is plug it in and it will immediately begin copying everything. Once it blinks red, you can pull it out and come back." She handed it to Bridgett.

"We'll have eyes on you the whole time, so if Jessica tries anything, we'll know." Marie elaborated. Jessica rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Get in, plug in the hard drive, wait for the light, come back with it. And come back safely. Alright, good luck."

Marina pressed a button and the ceiling opened up. One by one, the three Agents super jumped up and into the NILS statue.

* * *

The group made their way up to the Diaphragm Phase. Like before, the statue felt rather empty and devoid of life.

Just in case, they each held their defensive positions, guns in the air, and walking slowly and stealthily.

"...All clear." Jessica stated. She grabbed the hard drive from Bridgett, and the three made their way inside the metal tower. They moved to one of the empty data point slots, where she then inserted the hard drive. "Breach successful. Beginning download." She said into her Headset.

_"Good work, Jess."_ Marie said on the other line.

_"Give it a few minutes to complete the download. You're probably bringing back a lot of data."_ Marina added.

_"Watch your backs."_

"Let me know when the download finishes. Then we're out of here." Bridgett said, walking away a little bit to take a moment by herself, sitting on the edge of the platform.

Dylan sat down, but to his dismay, Jessica went to talk with her. "Jessica? Leave her alone."

Jessica ignored him, going up to Bridgett. "Did you wanna talk about it?"

Bridgett rolled her eyes. "Talk about what?"

"The look in your eyes when you walloped me against a wall."

Bridgett looked down. "There's nothing to talk about."

"It was a terrifying look. I'd never seen anything like it." She sat down next to her. "To be fair… I don't blame you. I deserved a beatdown."

Bridgett felt extremely tempted to either slap her and stand up, or straight up jump off to escape her all together. She turned her head away.

Jessica could tell she was making her uncomfortable, but kept talking anyway. "I, uh… Know what it's like to face that darkness in your mind. The black pit of pure anger. Not knowing which way to turn… I don't expect you to forgive me for any of my choices, but… I'm willing to forgive you for yours, is what my point is."

"Why'd you come back? After everything you did?"

"...I have to kill Tartar. He promised me that Cuttlefish would live, and… when I saw him there, I just had an instant realization I can't keep letting my sanitization control me."

Although Bridgett still refused to look at her, she thought this moment was… nice, actually. "…What does the sanitization feel like?"

"It's like living in a nightmare. It's like, you know what's right, and what's wrong, and all that bullshit, but there's this… voice. This loud voice, screaming at you to do the wrong. All these violent thoughts constantly on my mind, appearing in my dreams, and then in my actions. It's like a war going off in my head all the time. All this… pushing and pulling. I never wanted to work for Tartar, but, I wanted to. I can't imagine how it feels on a completed subject."

Bridgett finally turned back to her. "…Tell me you didn't want to hurt Marina."

"...I never wanted to hurt anybody." A single tear exited her eye. "You have no idea how much that's been plaguing my mind ever since it happened. When I found out she was still alive… It was kind of relieving." She looked over to see that Bridgett had been gripping her Hero Shot the whole conversation. She sighed. "If you wanna kill me, kill me. I have nothing left to live for anyway."

Bridgett, now feeling guilty, let go of the gun. She kept in mind what Marina said, about everyone having their own darkness. Maybe Jessica just wasn't as bad as they all thought. Yes, she had a LOT to make up for. The question was now, could she find it in herself to believe this?

"...You're a good Agent, Bridgett." Jessica suddenly started back up again. "I just don't want to see you get taken by the same demons that swallowed me. Cuttlefish wouldn't want that." She stood up, and began to walk back into the tower. Bridgett turned to watch her leave.

She sighed to herself, looking down. At the end of the day, she and Jessica weren't too different. As soon as this struck her mind, a figure appeared before her, like a ghost.

It was… Jessica. In her old Hero Outfit, and her flowing cape, starting back at her. Her Inner Agent 3 was coming back to haunt her.

Bridgett took a deep breath, shaking her head for a second to get rid of the hallucination. It had been a long time since she had to face her Inner Agent 3, and she wasn't about to do it again.

* * *

The hard drive eventually, just like Marina said it would, began to brink red from a little light on the side. Dylan, who had been keeping an eye on it, noticed this and grabbed it. He spoke into the Headset. "Hard drive extracted, we're heading back down."

_"Good work, Dylan. Head back down to the Metro, we're waiting for you."_ Marie said on the other line.

"On it." Dylan said. He ushered to Jessica and Bridgett, signaling that it was time for them to leave. "Let's go."

Bridgett stood up, and followed next to Jessica. They prepared to leap off the platform and start making their way down, when suddenly, high pitched frequencies sounded from all of their headsets.

"Ow!" They all yelled.

"Marie? What was that?" Dylan said, frustrated. Instead of a response, they got static. "…Marie?"

_"Oh, Executioner… I'm disappointed in you."_ A voice on the other end suddenly said.

The three looked at each other. "…Tartar." Jessica said.

_"I honestly thought with the partial sanitization, I'd be able to trust you. That's the last time I make such a mistake."_

"How'd you know we were here?" Dylan said angrily.

_"This is my NILS statue. You didn't think I wouldn't have security cameras here, did you? You're so ignorant. Running off with my plans as if I have no idea what you're up to."_

"Your Sanitization methods are over, Tartar. I'm coming for you now, even if I give my life to do the job." Jessica said.

_"Is this all because of the old man? Is that why you're turning on me again? What's your thing with him anyway?"_

"He was a good man who believed in the best of all of us. Unlike robots like you who tried to flush that best out."

_"A year and a half after I wiped most of you out and your kinds are still managing to surprise me. How pathetic. If you were smart, you would've let yourself die by the statue's hand like everyone else."_

"If I was smart I wouldn't have listened to you."

_"The deal's off, Executioner. You and your friends are going in the blender. Some of you, even, I'll have a little bit of a going away present. Bridgett and Marina, I know you're listening."_

The line cut off. Before they even had a moment to comprehend what just happened, the sound of several stalker moans echoed throughout the facility.

They each looked up. Many Stalkers were climbing down the walls like spiders, some of them already having reached the tower.

The three of them pulled out their weapons, although they were aware that they were severely outnumbered.

Dylan grumbled. "Bridge…"

Bridgett turned to him.

"In case something dumb happens to us right now, I just… wanna make sure you don't take what I said to you the wrong way."

"Take what the wrong way?"

"What I said when I broke up with you. I, uh…"

The sound of gunfire rang out as Jessica began firing at incoming stalkers. "Save it, lovebirds, we need to get back to the Metro, preferably with the safe hard drive!" She yelled. As soon as there wasn't any in the immediate area, she turned back to them. "Let's go!" She said, as she suddenly jumped off the platform. Dylan and Bridgett sighed, looking at each other, as they followed.

They quickly dropped back into the hallways of the Intestinal Phase, where many more laser traps had suddenly appeared. Bridgett sighed to herself when she saw this. "God, not this again…"

Jessica grabbed her arm to give her a shove. "Come on! We need to hurry!"

Their headsets sprang back to life, Marie once again audible on the other end.

_"Jessica? Are you ok?"_

"They know we're here!" Jessica said, as the three of them began to weave inbetween the traps as fast as they could. "Get the Metro ready for lockdown as soon as we get back!"

_"I was afraid of this. Alright, understood, hurry back."_

As the three continued to quickly navigate the traps, more stalkers began to appear in front of them. They quickly shot them down, and continued onward.

They were soon met with moving walls of laser traps, both blocking their path and chasing them.

Bridgett remembered similar traps like this from when she first navigated the statue. "Ink the walls!" She yelled.

The three did as she suggested, inking the walls and using their squid/octopus forms to swim up said walls each time a large wall passed them, allowing them to progress safely.

They battled their way through many Stalkers and laser traps of this fashion, eventually escaping back down the later phases.

Luckily, the Stalkers appeared much less prominently down there, allowing them to quickly escape back down the Metro without a problem.

As they entered the Metro, alarms began to sound, and the ceiling closed back up.

"The base is secure!" Marina yelled.

"So Tartar knows about our base down here?" Callie asked, as the entire Splatoon went up to the three. "Are we… Are we safe?"

"The entire base is now on lockdown. No one's getting in. I've learned from Tartar's last attempt to break into our base." Marina said. "Did you bring back the hard drive?"

Dylan checked around his pockets. "Um… Actually I think I dropped it in the water back in the Belly Phase. Huh. Must be destroyed, I guess."

The entire Splatoon grunted, including Bridgett. "Gah! Really, Dylan!?" Marina yelled.

"Relax, I'm kidding. Here." Dylan pulled out the hard drive, handing it to Marina."Should have all the data on it."

Marina breathed a sigh of relief, taking a second to calm down while studying it to make sure it wasn't really broken or anything. "Hm. Well… alright. I'll take a look."

Everyone in the Splatoon sighed. "Not cool, Dylan." Pearl said with her usual angry looking squint, as the Splatoon began to go back to what they were doing.

Marie turned to Jessica. "Good job. I'm glad to have you back, Jess."

Jessica sighed. "I'm not here for that. I'm here to stop Tartar, whatever it takes."

Jessica turned to walk away, but Marie stopped her. "Hey. Marina and I heard what you said to Bridgett, and I just wanted to say… No matter what other people say, I think you're still a good agent. Well… when you're not brainwashed, that is."

Jessica didn't respond, heading back to where she was going.

Bridgett, meanwhile, turned back to Dylan. "So, uh… What were you trying to say to me earlier?"

Dylan tensed up. "Huh?"

"When you said just in case something bad happened to us?"

Dylan sighed, starting to walk away. "I mean… it's not really important. Uh… see you later, Bridge." As he walked to his room, Bridgett continued to watch him until he was out of sight.

* * *

Several minutes passed, and Marina was actively browsing the files from the hard drive. Marie walked up to her. "Find anything?"

Marina had a strong look of concern on her face. "I'm finding lots of things. This isn't just Tartar's data. This is Octarian data."

A picture of blueprints appeared on the screen, labeled  **"** **TIME MACHINE** **."**  They both stared at it. "…Well, you said you wanted to travel back in time."

"I knew it. It's a time machine." Marina sighed to herself, putting down the keyboard. "Fully operational. And I know it works because it did stuff to me. High enough energy levels, and in theory, we could use this to physically travel back in time."

"And Tartar is planning to use it?"

"Unfortunately." Marina said, her eyes glued to the screen in horror. "Jessica was right. Our entire universe is at risk. And we're in the endgame."


	19. Final Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marina uncovers Tartar’s true plan, and the team prepares for what may be their final mission.

**Hours Later**

It was four in the morning. Marina was still up, sitting cross legged on the table by the monitors, keyboard in her lap, her eyes glued to the screens. The room was dark except for the screen lights, and her eyes were starting to hurt from staring at them for so long.

"Marina?" A voice said, walking up to the table. Marina looked away from the screen for the first time in hours to see Pearl walking up to her.

"Hey, Pearlie…"

"What are you still doing up?" Pearl asked, her voice obviously tired.

Marina sighed, looking back the screen. "I'm just… trying to understand."

"Understand what?"

"What exactly Tartar's plan is. Whatever it is, it's not good."

Pearl got in front of her, her face showing concern. "Marina… there are bags under your eyes. Come to bed."

"You're blocking the screen!" Marina suddenly yelled out.

Pearl was taken a bit by surprise, attempting to grab her hand. "Marina…"

Suddenly, in a rush of anger, she grabbed Pearl's hip and shoved her aside so she could see the screen again. Pearl stared at her in confusion for several seconds. "W… What the hell is your problem?"

Marina sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just… I'm really stressed out."

"Marina, you've been acting weird ever since you got stabbed. I don't think it's just stress."

Marina refused to respond to this.

"...It's the sanitization, isn't it? That Marie gave you?"

"...Maybe."

Pearl sat down next to Marina so that their shoulders were touching. "Marina… You're working yourself too hard. Ever since you got stabbed, even though we got Off the Hook back together, I just feel like… you've become more introverted. And I just wanna make sure you still know you can tell me anything."

"Last time I told you my big secret you turned on me."

"And we worked it out, didn't we?" Pearl sighed. "It… it means the world to me that we are back together. It means the world to me that there's even one person out there who's willing to put up with my shit. I mean… I'm definitely like the least secure person here."

Marina turned back to her. "Oh, Pearlie…"

"And I just… I fucked things up between us. And now I need to make sure I am here for you the way that you were there for me. I see the way Callie and Marie care for each other, and… I really wanna have the same bond between us."

"Honestly, Pearlie… I'm also really really glad that we're back together and all, but… I don't deserve you."

"You don't deserve me!?" Pearl suddenly got offensive. "No no no. I don't deserve YOU! I mean… Look at you. You're beautiful, you're a total role model, especially for an Octoling, and you're unbelievably smart. And I'm just… a spoiled brat. And I don't teach you the way I should."

"I may look like a popstar on the outside, Pearlie, but on the inside, I'm just… scum. You told me that's what I am. Scum."

"Oh come on, you know I wasn't in the best mindset then." Pearl said. "We talked about this. We patched it up. And listen to me, if I'm a princess, then you are a queen. All the way. You have things going through your mind, sure, and I understand that because I get the same shit."

"Pearl, I tried to choke you. And then I slapped you."

"Well you know what? I heard what you said to Bridgett the other day. About every light needing a shadow. Do you not think that applies to you as well?"

Marina stopped. Pearl was right. She was the one who gave that whole speech. She smiled for a second. "…Thanks, Pearlie. And you're wrong, by the way. You're the queen here."

"Hey, I only have princess in my name for a reason." Pearl said, snickering. "Now… Stop torturing yourself and come to bed. Even if it's just for a few hours."

Marina reluctantly obliged, putting aside the keyboard and powering down the monitors, leaving the room pitch black.

* * *

**Four Hours Later**

Marina, after only four hours of sleep, was already awake and back to what she was doing, before anyone else in the Splatoon had gotten up.

Marie and Callie were the first ones up as usual, and they began to make breakfast.

Eventually, Marie walked up to her, peeking at the monitors. "How are we looking?"

Marina sighed. "Well Jessica was definitely right. He has a plan. How soon he's gonna execute it, I have no clue."

"And it involves the time machine?"

"Yes. Everything about the mysterious readings down here are connected to this. And I don't think he even understands the consequences of turning that thing on though because his plan is very long term."

"His plan being what?"

"Not only does he want Inkopolis domination or global domination or anything that makes sense… he wants universal domination."

"How the hell would he get that?"

"I don't know. I think he's very delusional with it. But when it comes to universal domination, that includes all the different time periods in the universe. That includes going back and taking over the human race."

"Wow. This is a hardcore robot."

"Of course, he completely fails to understand that if he uses this machine too much, all of reality will dissolve. It's too much stress on space-time."

"So we need to destroy the machine."

"As soon as possible. And then we'll need to destroy him before he builds a new one or something."

"Well, yeah, destroying Tartar is obvious. Um… I guess I'll hold a meeting and tell everyone." Marie finished, walking away.

* * *

Everyone now sat around the table, with Marina and Marie standing in front of everyone. Marina had just concluded going over what she already discussed with Marie.

"So… This was Tartar's big plan? All along?" Jessica asked.

"Kind of an ironic question coming from the person who was his second in command for a year." Dylan mumbled.

"Just because I was his second in command doesn't mean he's told me everything. This is beyond even me. He's even more delusional than I thought."

"Honestly no shit he's delusional. He let an Inkling who tried to kill him onto his second in command role." Bridgett added. "We have to kill him. As soon as possible. This needs to end."

"I agree." Marie replied. "We need a plan to destroy him."

"Which is why I suggested that maybe we should just go back and rewrite time ourselves. With one bold move we would stop Tartar." Marina added.

"Marina, I told you why we're not doing that."

"Yeah, but, I keep saying the machine would only destroy reality if it's too heavily abused. Maybe we could just make the one trip."

"We'd be holding the fate of the entire universe in our hands. You yourself explained it. Do you yourself wanna be responsible for that much destruction?"

"Of course not, but… Imagine a world where the destruction never happened. Where Tartar never took over. Imagine a world that still has blue skies, and busy streets, and…" She paused for a second. "…Look, I know it's a risk, but I know the math. It's all in my head. I know we can do this."

"And it would stop Tartar?" Bridgett asked shyly.

"In the blink of an eye." Marina sighed. "This timeline should be overwritten. And, we wouldn't even be overwritten ourselves because we'd be back in time. We'd get flung back to the new timeline."

"And what if you have the math wrong?" Jessica suddenly interjected, standing up and walking to her. "I heard about what happened to you. You have sanitization in your head just like I do. And I can tell you firsthand that I don't exactly think straight."

Marina sighed and sat down, decided not to respond.

"Look, Marina, we get it. And we're listening. We just… need to be rational with this." Marie continued. She then turned back to the rest of the group. "Right now our priorities need to be destroying Tartar for good. He's going to cause some real problems if we don't act soon. And if we're not using the machine, we're going to destroy it."

"Thank you. Finally, we're thinking." Jessica mumbled.

"If we destroy the machine, Tartar's plan would be brought to a halt." Marie continued. "We destroy the machine, and then we kill Tartar. Then this whole thing will finally be behind us."

* * *

**The Next Day**

"I'm not gonna lie to you… I'm really nervous…" Callie sighed. "This shit is really hard without Gramps…"

Callie and Marie were sitting in their room, preparing to head out on their big mission.

Marie stopped what she was doing and grabbed Callie's shoulder. "Hey. We're going to be ok. I know we can do this."

"Sure, but… What if we fail? I mean… Tartar is strong…"

"Which is why we're dispatching the whole team on this mission. Hell, even Sheldon is coming with us."

"It's just… You know those panic attack things Marina likes to have? I think I'm having one of those right now…"

Marie leaned down to look her in the eyes. "Look at me. Do you trust me?"

Callie stared. "Of course I do, but…"

"Then trust me when I say this will work. We have some fantastic agents coming on this mission with us. And even if it doesn't work… then at least we tried."

"That's not helping."

"Look. I'll be right there by your side the whole time. You did fine last time we went to the Labs."

"Marina got stabbed last time!"

"And we've taken measures to make sure that doesn't happen again. Marina has a plan. We just have to follow it, and we'll be perfectly fine. I promise."

"You… really think so?"

"I know so. We know what we're doing."

Suddenly the door opened. "What, are you being lesbian in here or something?" Sheldon laughed, walking in.

"Dammit, Sheldon, don't you knock?" Marie sighed. Callie just smirked out of amusement.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know the bombs are ready." Sheldon said. "Marina and I finished them just now."

Marina got up. "Alright. Thank you, Sheldon."

"Ye ye." Sheldon said, disappearing out the door. Marie and Callie looked at each other.

* * *

Bridgett was busy preparing by the lockers they had stationed in the bathroom, when suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Ugh… Who is it?"

The door barged open, and suddenly, Jessica walked in. Bridgett immediately stopped and stood up in defense. "…What are you doing?"

"It's time we talked again, friend." Jessica said, closing the door and sitting down on the bench by the side of the room.

"We are not friends."

"It's just… I had something I wanted to tell you."

"Can it wait?"

"I'd prefer not. Listen… I just wanted to tell you that I'm not staying."

Bridgett stared. "…Why not?"

"Because I don't belong here, I have no place here. I'm in this until we kill Tartar, but after that I'm out."

"Why are you telling me this? This is Marie's business, not mine."

Jessica sighed. "Because… Because I want you fill in my shoes."

Bridgett immediately paused and started at her. "What?"

"I already told you why I find you a good agent, Bridgett, so I'm not going through that again. My point is, I don't deserve friends. I don't deserve a family. Marina doesn't deserve always having me in her presence. You all deserve better than that. And… I think that you're the next best here."

Bridgett sat down in disbelief. "Well…"

"I know that Cuttlefish saw good in you, and I think he would've wanted you to be that Agent as well. So I owe it to him to see that good in you too."

"You know that I'm Octarian, right?"

"Inklings, Octolings, what the hell is the difference? I just wanted to let you know first." Jessica stood back up and began to walk out.

"...You're really doing this all for Cuttlefish, aren't you?" Bridgett said, stopping her.

Jessica lingered by the door, turning her head slightly. "…Always."

The door closed behind her as she walked out, leaving Bridgett to her own thoughts. She sighed, a slight headache passing her over. She closed her eyes.

"She's right, you know." The same voice suddenly said to her. She opened her eyes, her Inner Agent 3 standing in front of her, once again wearing the old Hero Outfit. "I may just be in your head, but I know the next great Agent when I see her."

Bridgett grumbled. "…You again."

IA3 smirked. "Yep. Me again. Your good ol' imaginary friend."

Bridgett attempted to shrug off the hallucination again, but she refused to vanish. "Dammit." She decided to ignore her, standing up and continuing to prepare.

"So… you have all these violent thoughts in your head toward me, and I'm here to help straighten that out." IA3 continued behind her. "The real Jessica really thinks that you're the girl for the job though. You don't think so?"

"I know I'm not. I'm not like you."

"You're everything like me. You, me, and Dylan, we are all basically the same people."

"Don't you dare compare yourself to Dylan like that."

"We were both dumbass Inklings who joined the Splatoon to save the Zapfish, were we not? The only difference is I matured over the years."

"Shut up. Just shut up."

"These violent thoughts… They're manifesting in you right now as we speak. You want to kill me. You didn't even partial sanitization to get them, because you're a natural born Octarian."

Bridgett turned around for a brief second to see IA3's surreal smiling face. She had gotten so much more taunting. "Yeah, I'm an Octoling. That doesn't mean I have to be like Octavio."

"As different from Octavio as you are, you still have all these violent emotions. They're coming out, Bridgett. They already did come out, actually, and they're not stopping."

"Shut up…" Bridgett was speeding up her preparation routine, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

"Now you're going on this final mission to face Tartar. Let's see how you contain yourself when you face Tartar face to face. You're afraid that you're going insane, and that you talking to me right now is proof."

Bridgett sighed and sat down. "…Why am I talking to myself…?"

"Because maybe you are insane. And do you want to know why you're insane? Because you're just like me, Bridgett. You always have been and you always will be. You're getting the same exact anger that I feel every single day."

Bridgett lost it. "SHUT UP!" She suddenly yelled, standing up and punching at her face. Of course, she missed as there was nothing to hit, and IA3 finally disappeared. Bridgett took several angry deep breaths to herself, as the door suddenly barged open, Dylan stepping in.

"What the hell?" He said in concern. "Who are you yelling at?"

Bridgett immediately began to break down crying, sitting back down. "I… I'm losing it, Dylan."

Dylan immediately went over to comfort her, sitting down next to her. "Hey… You're not losing it."

Bridgett's tears began to get more intense, as she let herself fall into Dylan's shoulder. The two hugged, Bridgett's crying being muffled by his chest.

* * *

**An Hour Later**

"We're going to lure him into Tartar Labs, where just as we did at the Tower, we will surprise him and lead a planned attack on him. In order to kill him, we need to destroy his brain. We could rip out his heart, but the thing is, the heart only exists to keep electricity flowing through his body, and his AI could still exist without it. We destroy the brain, Tartar dies. He wants us dead as well, so if we simply go to Tartar Labs to destroy the machine, I'm willing to bet he'll come after us. We need to expect that he'll bring an army of Stalkers, but they're easily disposable so I don't see a problem with just knocking them down and playing it safe. Destroying Tartar's body won't exactly be easy however, he's basically built out of thick armor and we will need to find a way to breach it." Marina recapped her plan of killing Tartar to Marie.

"Got it. Good. I mean, I already had it memorized, but…" Marie replied.

"Good. Glad we're on the same page." Marina said. They were both in their hero gear, weapons ready.

"The submarine is ready." Sheldon said, walking up to them. Callie and Pearl was behind him. "Everyone's ready to go."

In a couple more seconds, everyone from the Splatoon was in the room, in their hero gear, gathering up. Marie walked in front of everyone. "Listen up, everyone. If we play the right cards, this could be our final mission against Tartar. And… This won't be easy, but I know that we can walk out of it alive no matter what. But if we destroy the machine and end Tartar's life today, we win. Simple as that."

Hope and nervousness was running high in the group. "And… I just wanted to say that as Agent 2 and leader of the Splatoon... I'm very proud of all of us. Especially today. Just like Cuttlefish told us we could, we have stood hand in hand and shoulder by shoulder in resistance to Tartar. We refused to let him control our lives. And I couldn't be prouder of us for pulling something like that off."

The group looked among each other, their nervousness turning into pure hope, even if just for the moment.

"Alright, Splatoon. Let's go." Marie finally announced.

In a line, they each slowly walked toward the helicopter. Callie and Marie were leading the line, so close to each other that their shoulders were nearly touching. Jessica and Dylan were not far behind them. Pearl and Marina followed them, Sheldon standing on Marina's shoulder. Finally, in the back of the line, was Bridgett, who was tailing relatively close to Marina.

This was going to be one of the last times they all walked together.


	20. The End of Everything - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the finale, the NSS faces Tartar in a final confrontation, and they quickly find themselves in the middle of the ultimate struggle for the survival of the universe.

**Tartar Labs**

The entrance doors to the Lab opened, Commander Tartar himself slithering in. The alarm strobe lights were already off, as Tartar looked around. The ground was littered with dead stalkers and Sanitized Octarians. They had already been breached.

"My army…" Tartar grumbled to himself. He slowly walked around the halls, looking for any clues to where anyone who breached might've gone. Their submarine was still parked, so he knew they were still here.

Several minutes went by. He entered the center labs of the facility, studying the environment. This place had been breached too, the door to the time machine room wide open.

He entered. The time machine was booming with life as always, but it wasn't turn on. What did they want with the time machine?

"Hello, Tartar." A female voice said in the corner of the room. Tartar turned to see Marina, casually sitting down, fumbling with her fingers.

The sound of guns cocking sounded behind him, prompting him to turn around. Pearl was directly behind him, Dualies ready to strike. "Don't move, terminator."

Tartar grumbled and turned back to Marina. "…Mother."

"Let's drop the mother bullshit, alright?" Marina replied. "You're delusional, and alone. And we're here to stop you from your hellbent destruction of the entire universe."

"I see you read my plans." Tartar sighed. "…I don't consider it destruction. I consider it order. Correction for a sick universe."

"So your hatred extends just beyond Octarians and Inklings, doesn't it?"

"In a way, yes." Tartar looked down. "I've been studying your kinds for my entire life. I was built by humans, finished by you, and in all the time I had to reflect on all of that, I came to a simple conclusion. …No life-form deserves sentience."

"Including you."

"Including me. We're all too easily controlled by emotions, no matter how pointless. I want to cleanse the universe of these impurities, because really, the universe itself is pure without us."

"And what makes you think you're the robot for the job?"

"...Because I'm the only one who can see the impurities. I'm the only one with a grand enough will to act on it. But don't think that I exclude myself. When my job is finished, I will silently lay down my own life, as well as those which I have created."

Marina chuckled a little bit, standing up. "You've even more delusional than I thought. I'm actually straight up embarrassed to have designed you. You really don't understand, do you?"

"Understand what?"

"Not only is what you're doing physically impossible, but it's gonna destroy all of reality if you even attempt it. Unlike you, I have all the math in my head, space-time would actually become crippled after… what, three full uses?"

"You're lying to stop me."

"I'm really not, Tartar. It's science. You're living off of delusion. Oh, and another thing you fail to understand, is that the universe is only pure because it has those sentient beings to consider it pure. I don't even understand how you missed that."

"If only you were by my side all this time to tell me these things yourself, Mother."

"Maybe I would've if you didn't let yourself become a sick machine with genocidal needs. You destroyed my city, and I could never forgive something like that."

"So you're here to kill me." Tartar smiled.

"No. Of course not. …She is."

Tartar's smile faded as he turned around to Pearl, but it wasn't Pearl she was talking about. Marina suddenly dived to grab Pearl out of the way, both them sliding to the floor. Then, before Tartar could react, he was knocked out of the room by a heavy unseen force.

He rolled back into the main labs, and quickly got back onto his feet. Jessica appeared in front of him. "Hello again, Tartar." She said with a smirk.

"Executioner! Did you come back to get on your knees and beg again!?" Tartar yelled angrily.

"Not exactly." Jessica said. Suddenly from her hand, spawned the Executioner spear.

"That no longer belongs to you!"

"I don't care." Jessica then began to engage Tartar in combat, attempting to slice him with the spear. They were both quick, and due to Jessica's skills vs Tartar's strength, it was a decently even match. Jessica acrobatically dodged every single one of his attacks, but Tartar simply held through her attacks through sheer armor.

Eventually, Tartar managed to read her entire fighting style, and with a swift move, knocked Jessica straight into the wall, knocking her out instantly.

"NOW!" Marina yelled.

Once again, pink holgraphic rings surrounded Tartar, and a "BOOYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" sounded out.

This time, however, Tartar was quick enough to quickly dodge the sound waves coming from Pearl's killer wail. He crawled along the wall, and swiftly destroyed the Killer Wail with his claw, before swiping Pearl to the side. He moved to kill her, but was stopped by Marina.

Tartar began to get covered in green ink from Marina's hero shot, as he angrily turned back around to Marina. "Insects! All of you!"

"Look who's talking." Marina said. Tartar prepared to knock her down as well, when a splat bomb suddenly collided with his head. He turned to face Sheldon.

Sheldon smiled and saluted at Marina. "You just simply don't mess with the Squidbeak Splatoon! Now prepare to feel the wrath of the mighty-" He never finished his sentence, as in the blink of an eye, he was also knocked unconscious into the wall.

Marina sighed. "God dammit Sheldon. Stick to the plan." She muttered under her breath.

Then Dylan entered the room, running straight up to Tartar. He began to circle him, spraying him with ink while occasionally landing a few punches on him to throw him off. Unfortunately for him, this didn't last long, as Tartar eventually predicted his next move and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him to the ground, throwing him aside.

"NOW, CALLIE!" Another female voice rang out. Callie and Marie then ran in, holding a rope like the last time they fought him, and attempted to wrap it around his legs again. However, their plan failed, as Tartar instantly recognized the attempt and cut the rope with his claw.

Callie and Marie both tripped as the rope didn't go quite where they wanted. "Shit!" Marie yelled, as she slid and stood back up. The two popstars began to fire at him with their respective weapons, but Tartar no longer even flinched. Swiping his entire body, he tripped Callie, and then grabbed Marie by the throat swiftly.

He held Marie close to his face, his grip on her throat cutting off her oxygen. Marie struggled to breathe. "Hm. Yes. The Squid Sisters. Granddaughters of Cuttlefish."

"What, you know us?" Callie said, struggling to get up.

Tartar suddenly swatted Callie in the head with his behind, knocking her out. "Of course I do. Everyone knows who you are. I'm sorry about your grandfather, really, I am, but he was destined to die soon anyway."

Marie, even though she couldn't really breathe, struggled some words out. "You…. never… talk… about… Gramps…" She started to feel faint.

"Hm. You're all so pathetic. Holding on to dear loved ones. Weak. You're all dying today. And I'm going to enjoy every second you sit in the blender."

Tartar's evil grin was the last thing Marie saw as she passed out.

* * *

Marie gasped as she reawoke. She attempted to move, but quickly found that her entire body was bound by rope. She looked around, seeing that everyone else in the Splatoon, except for Bridgett, was also tied up by the wall in the lab.

She remained trapped for several minutes before eventually, Tartar stepped back in. He stopped to survey the area. "Hm… Are we all awake?" He began to walk down a line past everyone, looking closely at every single one of them.

The only person who seemed to still be out was Sheldon, although it should've been obvious due to his snoring. Tartar snapped his sharp fingers. "Wake up! Useless crab!" He yelled. Sheldon snapped awake with a small scream.

Tartar sighed. "You all continue to disappoint me, more and more as time goes on. Well…" He looked down at Marina. "Your plan failed. I have you now." Marina squinted her eyes in anger.

Tartar stepped back a bit so the whole group could see him clearly. "Most of you will be going in the blender. All of you except one." He moved over to Jessica, suddenly caressing her face with his sharp claws, causing her to cringe to herself. "You… my dear Executioner… I'm going to personally kill you with my own fingers. I'm gonna watch you bleed."

Jessica sighed, disgusted that Tartar was currently so close. "Well, it's rude to keep a girl waiting."

"You stood by my side all this time and you turn on me because you lose an old squid. An old, old, squid."

"We made a deal, Tartar. Cuttlefish was supposed to live and you killed him. Now I'm gonna kill you." She put on a mocking voice. "I'm going to personally kill you with my own fingers. I'm gonna watch you bleed."

Tartar suddenly slapped her. "And I'm gonna kill you in front of them." He grabbed her by the rope, shoving her to the rest of the group. "Look to the traitor, people!" He announced to the rest of the group. "Let her be an example!"

Jessica sighed and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the inevitable pain Tartar was about to give her.

Suddenly, a grenade rolled into the middle of the room, attracting everyone's attention, including Tartar's.

Tartar stopped what he was doing, confused, as he leaned down to pick it up. "What-"

Suddenly, it exploded in a fiery burst, pushing Tartar back. Jessica, who was already free of the radius, crawled away like a worm. Tartar stood up with the smoke, as a figure leaped in.

As the smoke cleared, Bridgett's figure became visible, who was standing decently far away from Tartar in a battle position.

"Well, well, well… Number 10,008."

"You still remember that number after all this time?" Bridgett teased.

"You're not an easy one to forget. Among the cockroaches, you really stand out." Tartar smiled.

"You keep calling everyone around her cockroaches when you're the only one here who even resembles one."

"I suppose you're here to kill me. The rest of your friends failed to."

"At least I have a few tricks I learned from Jessica herself." Bridgett said with a threatening glare. Before Tartar could raise an eyebrow to what she just said, she suddenly pulled out Tenta Missile launchers. Several Tenta Missiles flew out, heading directly for Tartar.

Tartar shielding himself a little bit and tanked all of the missiles, and Bridgett still wasn't done. She then equipped an Ink Armor, before rushing toward Tartar and landing a few punches on him.

Of course, the Ink Armor only a lasted a few seconds, and as soon as it ran out, Bridgett only had a second to react before Tartar sliced at her left arm, breaking some of the armor off and cutting her. As she screamed in pain, he then punched her right in the face. She fell to the ground, but quickly regained her senses and rolled over to grab Jessica's spear, which was sitting on the floor. She used it to counter Tartar's attack, and then attempted to cut him with it. The spear swiped his metal skin, but didn't breach it.

It didn't take Bridgett long to notice that she didn't really know acrobatics like Jessica did, but it didn't matter. As soon as it was recharged, she reactivated the Ink Armor, and with a couple of swift punches and kicks, actually managed to knock Tartar down.

Tartar grunted, feeling a little defeated. He struggled to get back up.

Bridgett's Ink Armor ran out, although she wasn't paying attention to it, her cockiness overcoming her. She could kill him. "You're done Tartar. You're dying here."

Tartar only gave a sinister smile. Suddenly, in an upward swipe, knocked Bridgett into a backflip, causing her to awkwardly land on her back. She groaned, and watched as Tartar came in for the beatdown.

Letting out a gasp of fear, she shielded her face, tanking every one of his punches. His cold, hard, metal, painful punches. She grunted out in pain, as Tartar suddenly kicked her across the room. She came to a rolling stop, and now starting to fear for her life, forced herself to quickly get up.

Tartar was slowly going in for the kill. She had one shot to hold him back. She pulled out a Stingray, firing it directly through Tartar, but it didn't even seem to affect him. Tartar continued to walk through it as if the laser didn't exist, eventually reaching her. With a swat, he destroyed the Stingray.

Bridgett held the spear up to her face to block more attacks, but to her dismay, Tartar simply tore it in half. Bridgett attempted to punch him, but Tartar grabbed her fist to hold her still, and then drove one end of the spear right through her armor and into her stomach.

She immediately yelped out in pain, fear showing in her eyes as she instantly remembered what happened to Marina.

"BRIDGETT!" Multiple people screamed out at once, Marina being the loudest.

Tartar slowly shoved Bridgett toward the wall, where she carefully sat down, and he pulled out the spear for her, throwing it aside. He gently caressed his face just as he did with Jessica. "I've gotta be honest, out of all the cockroaches here, you seem to be the bravest. I respect that."

Bridgett silently gagged on her own ink as she stared at her wound in horror.

Tartar sighed. "I'll make sure your death is quick and painless. As a sign of that respect. It's been nice knowing you, 10,008."

Luckily for Bridgett, the wound wasn't as bad as Marina's as it wasn't as deep, but it still hurt like hell. She groaned in pain, watching Tartar about to make his killing move, as she accepted her death. At the very least, she was making a warrior's exit.

Suddenly, however, another grenade rolled in, directly underneath Tartar. It once again bursted in a fiery explosion, this time, knocking Tartar down so his head hit a table. Tartar fell down, limp, the lights in his eyes powering down. The entire Splatoon looked to see what happened, seeing that Sheldon had somehow escaped his ropes.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad I convinced you to be Agent 5." Marie sighed in gratefulness.

Sheldon saluted. "Just doing my duty." He quickly went around the room, untying everyone. As soon as he finished untying Marina, she ran straight for Bridgett, who hadn't really moved from her spot, still staring at her wound in disbelief.

"Eight! You're gonna be ok, look at me. We know how to heal this." Marina said quickly, grabbing her cheek for comfort. She turned to look at Callie. "Give her the sanitization!"

Marie walked up to her to check out the wound and the cuts. "It's too dangerous, that stuff made you flatline, remember?" She knelt down to look at her stomach. "…I don't think it's as deep as it was for Marina, but we need to get you medical attention as soon as possible. Can you stand?"

Bridgett responded by slowly standing up, although her legs were a little weak. She grasped onto Marina for support, who held on closely to her in almost a hug.

Marie sighed. "Now's our chance, we need to destroy Tartar while he's still out!" She said, preparing her weapon.

Dylan suddenly went up to Bridgett and hugged her. "You are ok? I mean… stupid question, but-"

"I'm alive." Bridgett replied, as she continued to groan from the pain.

Sheldon, Marie, and Marina all knelt down to study Tartar's body. His skin was basically thick metal plates, and Marina slowly ran Jessica's spear along it. Not a scratch.

"...I don't know how we're supposed to breach this." She sighed.

Marie thought for a second. "Let's use the bombs and see if we can blow him up. How many bombs do we have?"

"Everyone has several of their own grenades, and then we have a big one that can bring down the whole lab. The big one is a last resort, but, I don't know if the grenades can breach his skin. He's already gotten hit by one."

Marie groaned. "Dammit. Um… Maybe we should just use the big bomb and evacuate? It'd destroy Tartar, the machine, and the lab."

Suddenly, however, several high pitched roars could be heard from a distance, as if some sort of creature was let loose into the lab. They all stopped what they were doing in curiosity.

"Are there Stalkers in the area?" Sheldon asked.

"No… Stalkers sound different than that. These sound more like…" Dylan stopped, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

Whatever they were hearing, it was fast. Dog-like footsteps could be heard, scampering about. They all prepared their weapons.

Callie got in front of Marie, now being the closest to the door. She was breathing heavily. "…What is it?"

Suddenly, some sort of dog-like creature made out of Tartar's green goop, like a Stalker, leaped onto Callie, knocking her down. The Stalker Beast was violent and ravenous like a wild dog, and was currently attempting to aggressively eat Callie, scratching at her. Callie, in a state of panic, was only barely managing to keep its bite away from her face.

Multiple other Agents immediately attempted to shoot it off, but to everyone's dismay, the ink was only pissing it off and making it more aggressive. Marie, now desperate to save her cousin, took Jessica's broken spear and stabbed it in the neck, immediately causing it to get off Callie. However, it still wasn't dead.

It let out a massive roar, and Marie, terrified, threw a grenade to the corner of the room. The creature immediately went to grab it, as it exploded, finally killing it.

"What the hell was that!?" Marie screamed.

"Looks like Tartar made more than just Stalkers. And there's more coming, so we need to move!" Marina screamed.

"Ah… My leg…" Callie grunted.

Marie looked down at Callie, and realized that the creature actually managed to breach Callie's armor, leaving a massive scratch in her leg. "Callie!"

She ducked down to check out the wound, which was now bleeding. "Can you stand?"

"I really, really don't know…" Callie said, grasping the wound. "God, if only I could get someone that crazy for me in bed with me…"

The roars of the creatures could still be heard throughout the facility.

"Guys! We've gotta move!" Marina yelled.

"Well, you screaming is just gonna attract their attention." Marie grunted. "Give me a minute, I need to treat this!"

Marina groaned, pausing for a second, thinking to herself. Then, she suddenly snapped. "That's it. I'm done with this." She walked into the room with the generator.

"Marina? Marina!" Bridgett said, as she slowly trudged in after her.

"I don't wanna hear it, Eight!" Marina yelled. She walked up to the machine, staring at it.

"Tell me you're not going to turn that thing on."

"What else are we supposed to do?" Marina said, turning to face her. "Everything's going to shit. We're going back in time and we're ending this. I need you to stay behind the destroy the machine!"

Marina turned back to the machine and grabbed the lever.

"Marina!" Bridgett yelled, attempting to run to her, being held back by the pain from her stomach. "I'm starting to think the sanitiziation is getting to your head!"

"It's already gotten to my head." She turned it all the way to 10. Instantly, the machine began violently shaking and glowing, an extremely loud buzzing noise emanating from it.

"MARINA!" Bridgett yelled, going up and grabbing Marina. Although she managed to push Marina back a little bit, she lost her balance and fell toward the machine. The area immediately around the machine erupted in a blue ball of electricity, engulfing Bridgett.

The machine then took a few seconds to calm down. Marina looked around the room, the machine becoming visible again. To her dismay, Bridgett was now missing.

"Eight?" She said, walking up to the machine. She got walled off, however, as the machine produced some kind of natural force field. Worse yet, the machine was still running. Electric lights continued to pulsate out of the machine in rhythms. "EIGHT!? WHERE ARE YOU!?" She began to call out in a panic.

The rest of the Splatoon walked in, surveying the area.

"...Where's Bridgett?" Dylan asked nervously.

Marina turned back to look at them, her face wracked with horror. "…Oh god…"

* * *

Bridgett, having fallen on her side, slowly opened her eyes and looked around. What she saw horrified her, and she didn't know how to explain it.

She was in some kind of… void. A red void, the kind of red-pink tone that matched her ink color, was full of all sorts of bizarre dimensional twitching. Despite it being basically a void however, there was some kind of invisible ground she was standing on. Holding her stomach, she stood up, beginning to panic.

"MARINA!" She called out. "MARINA!"

"She can't hear you." A female voice called out to her, echoing throughout the entire void. An orange color began to mix with the red color of the void. "No one can hear you."

Bridgett turned to see who the voice belonged to, and low and behold, her Inner Agent 3 was once again there.

"Hi again. Did you miss me?" She said with a teasing smirk.

Bridgett immediately lost all of her self control. "FUCK OFF! JUST FUCK OFF! ALRIGHT!? I'M NOT DEALING WITH YOU!"

"You already deal with me all the time, Bridgett. I'm with you every second of every day."

Bridgett furiously pulled out a grenade and chucked it at her face. Not only did IA3 suddenly vanish from sight, but the grenade didn't touch the invisible floor, instead falling into the infinite space below them.

As Bridgett continued to survey the area, IA3 suddenly appeared behind her again. "You must be extremely confused right now, huh? Don't worry. I think I know how to explain it."

Bridgett grumbled, awaiting her explanation.

"You are currently in another dimension. Nothing like our own. Nothing that can be fully explained, experienced, or comprehended by Marina, or any Inkling or Octoling. This place is so whacky, it's whatever the imagination wants it to be. This place is truly something else. My guess is it's connected to space-time. Some kind of dimension that all of space-time is pumping through, the dimension you pass through to time travel."

"How the hell do you know that?" Bridgett questioned, still holding onto her bleeding stomach.

IA3 smiled. "I mean… I don't. You do. I'm just your rational mind coming out to tell you. You've learned a thing or two from Marina."

Bridgett sighed. "Alright then, 'rational mind', why don't you tell me how to get out of here?"

"I have no idea. You're gonna have to wing it." IA3 said again, suddenly disappearing again.

Bridgett looked around, when suddenly, there she was again, hopping all over the place. IA3 herself was surveying the area, looking at the beautiful blob of red and orange that surrounded them. She snapped her fingers. "A part of you wants to go right back to Marina and your precious Dylan and hug and kiss them or whatever."

The colors of orange and red began to fade, being replaced by… The New Squidbeak Splatoon. Like some kind of JPG image, they were no surrounded by a dome made up out of her teammates. She outstretched her arm as if she could physically touch them.

IA3 snapped her fingers again, as the void they were surrounded by once again took another form. "But what you really want and need is to go back, and stop this nightmare from ever happening."

They were now surrounded by a picture of Inkopolis. Bright and sunny and full of life and color. She longed for such a paradise.

IA3 snapped her fingers once again. "And in order to do that… You want to go way back, before Tartar ever hurt anyone." The picture that surrounded them was now the Deepsea Metro in it's earlier state, when it was still just a rundown metro. In the center of Central Station, Bridgett could see Commander Tartar himself, as a telephone, just sitting there. "You can go back right now and undo everything." IA3 continued.

"I…" Bridgett started.

"You might want to decide quickly. You don't wanna stay here too long, you'll probably lose your sanity or something."

"...What happens if I go back?"

"It's has Marina explained. You could defeat Tartar, overwrite the current timeline you live in, and you'd get flung back to present day in the new timeline. Your current consciousness in a new body."

"...But… Dylan… and Marina… I didn't… get to say goodbye." Bridgett looked down at her wound. "…I have to go back to where I was."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. You can't save them right now. The best way to save them, is to go back and undo everything while we're already in this dimension."

Bridgett sat down as the picture of the New Squidbeak Splatoon flooded back in view. "I…"

"You'd better make a decision. If you go back, I'll be here the whole time. In your head."

"...I'll lose them."

"You'll get them back."

"I'll get the overwritten versions of them. It'd be like meeting them for the first time. These guys… these are the people I know. They'll get overwritten."

"Yes. It'll be like the people you once knew simply… disappeared." IA3 sat down next to her. "Time travel is a funny thing, isn't it? I'm not going to lie to you though…" A picture of the machine flooded in the view, surrounded by the electric force field. "If you go back there now, all of reality could collapse. The machine is still running, and it's not gonna stop until it's destroyed or overwritten."

Bridgett took several seconds to weigh her options. "…What do you think I should do?"

"I think you need to go time-jumping. But hell… what do I know… I'm just in your head after all." IA3 said. Bridgett looked over to her. Her smile wasn't the mature Jessica smile she'd grown to hate. It was the smile of an Inkling, a young 14-year old Inkling who likes to play Turf War. "The tock is clicking, Bridgett. All of space-time is already getting pressured."

Bridgett sighed to herself. The surrealness of the area was really starting to get to her head. "Alright. Fine. I'll go back. I just… I don't know how to go back, exactly?"

"Like I said this place is basically just your imagination, so… First, picture where you wanna go. What time, and what place."

Bridgett obliged. "…Ok?"

"Now, imagine yourself falling into it." IA3 whispered, almost as if she was hosting an ASMR video.

Bridgett did this for a second, closing her eyes, but nothing seemed to happen. "Um… Ok, what the hell is imagining supposed to-"

Suddenly, as if the invisible ground beneath her disappeared, she began falling straight into the void. Putting herself into a sky-diving pose, she stared at the void that she was falling into. Electric volts surrounded the area, engulfing her.

And then, all at once, as if she was never falling, Bridgett was... standing. She groaned from whatever she just experienced, and looked around. She was standing in some kind of dark hallway, with an abandoned train track beneath her and graffiti and paper lined on the walls. She seemed to be back in the Metro. IA3 was finally gone again, leaving herself to her own business.

Her attention was quickly turned back to the pain she was feeling in her stomach. With a grunt, she put her hand over the wound again, and leaned on the wall. The pain was becoming a little crippling now. She wasn't gonna lie to herself; she was dying. If she was back in time, then she was still in her present day body.

She decided to test something. She reached up to her Hero Headset and pressed the talk button. "…Marina? Dylan? Can anyone hear me?" She was only met with radio static sounds. She sighed, pulling them off of her head and dropping them to the floor, as they audibly cracked against the ground. She was all alone now.

With her shaky right hand, she then reached toward her damaged left armor sleeve over her cuts, pulling at the plates. As she used her strength to pull them off, the pain flared up her stomach, and she winced in pain, gritting her teeth. She then surveyed the cuts she had on her arm. They were worse than she thought, and were now bleeding.

"Dammit." She muttered to herself, as she grabbed her Hero Shot and began to slowly move down the hall, not really straying from the wall.

* * *

**Back in Present Day**

"…Where's Bridgett?" Marie asked.

"I…" Marina hesitated.

Roars coming from the rest of the facility could be heard. Marie grunted. "We don't have time for this, where's Bridgett!?"

"I don't know…"

"Did you turn on the machine?" Dylan said, staring into it.

"The machine, Eight fell onto it, and… disappeared." Marina explained.

Marie walked up to the machine, but just like Marina when she attempted it, was walled off by some kind of force field. "What the-"

"The machine must be naturally creating the shield as it draws energy from the other dimension." Marina explained. "…There's no way in hell we're breaching it now."

Dylan took a random wrench that happened to be laying around, and attempted to hit the force field, but to no one's surprise, was knocked back in a small electric explosion. In pain, Dylan dropped the wrench and grasped his hand. "…Bridgett…"

"...I'm so sorry…" Marina said, covering her mouth. "I didn't mean to…"

"Did you intentionally turn on the machine?" Marie asked, a little angrily.

"...Yes."

"Why?" Dylan said, walking up to her, sadness and disappointment showing from his face. "You killed Bridgett?"

"I didn't kill her, I… she's probably in the other dimension."

"What other dimension?" Marie asked.

"It's this pocket dimension from our own, all of space-time flows through it. That dimension is what this machine taps into."

"Can we save her?"

"I mean, we can't save her, but I'm sure she can save herself. If she's in that dimension she could time travel to wherever she wanted."

"How could you let that happen?" Dylan continued.

Tears began to stream from Marina's eyes. "…I'm so sorry, Dylan…"

Roars continued to echo through the building.

"I'm sorry to break up the moment, but we have to move. We'll come back for Bridgett later." Marie said.

"There is no later. The machine didn't turn itself off. It's going to continue drawing space-time energy, and it's going to tear reality apart. We have to find a way to destroy it."

"We'll lose Bridgett if we destroy it right now."

Marina took this into consideration.

"Come on. We'll get Callie to the submarine where the first aid is, and then we'll come back. Hopefully that'll give Bridgett time to return. How long do you estimate we have?"

"I don't know."

The group went back into the lab, where Callie was still sitting, grasping her wound.

"Ok, this really hurts…" Callie continued.

"Help me." Marie asked Marina. The two of them grabbed Callie by the arms, lifting her up, and then proceeded to carry her out by her armpits. "Don't worry, Callie, we got you."

* * *

**Back with Bridgett**

After several minutes of walking, she eventually entered a large room. It took her a second to recognize it because of how much it's been changed, but she still recognized the ceiling. Sure enough, she was now standing in Central Station, and there seemed to be some commotion going on.

Using her remaining strength, she pulled herself up from the train tracks to the main area, when she saw it. That damn telephone, Tartar himself, and what appeared to be a male Octoling with a punk hairstyle talking to him. Whatever year she was in, this was before she herself ever entered the Metro. She quickly hid behind a trash can as she silently watched what was happening. She could barely hear what was being said.

"Congratulations, number 7,013, the door to the promised land will now open!" Tartar announced. Bridgett quickly recognized the situation.

"No…" She muttered.

Tartar's dial began to speed up, and suddenly, Tartar erupted with purple electricity.

Somehow, both Tartar and the machine pieces around them began to hover in the air, as they suddenly combined and formed a blender, with Tartar sitting on top. Carnival music and lights began to play as the entrance to the blender opened.

"Please, step right inside! Here we go! Don't be shy!" Tartar once again announced.

Bridgett watched in suspense. Surely this guy couldn't be as dumb as she was back in the metro and enter it, right? But she was wrong, as the male Octoling began to step into it. Immediately, Bridgett decided to step in.

"Stop! It's a trap!" She yelled.

The Octoling, turned around with a confused expression. "What?"

"Dammit, it's a trap!" Bridgett repeated, as she used all her strength to run up to them. She pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it into the blender.

"Do not listen to her, number 7,013, these thangs will lead you to the-" Tartar interjected, as the grenade exploded, immediately destroying the blender.

Bridgett grabbed the stranger Octoling and leaped out of the way as shards of glass flew past them, and upon doing so, she quickly screamed out in pain, grasping her now pained stomach.

Tartar awkwardly landed on his back as it fell from the blender, twitching as he made small ringing noises.

The male Octoling turned to his savior. "Are you… are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm just slowly dying is all…" She said sarcastically. "What's your name?"

"Adrian." He answered. "You?"

"...Bridgett… well, that's not my real name, though… and… you can just call be Eight if you want, I don't care anymore…"

"Um… Alright… Where exactly are you from anyway?"

Bridgett rolled her eyes. "You don't wanna know." They both turned to see that Tartar was gone. "What…"

Then, they saw him. A little to their left, Tartar was now standing, the pole he stood on having somehow grown skinny metal legs and hands. Green ooze with a stray tentacle was now oozing from the head.

"What on Earth?" Adrian gasped.

"Ok, what the fuck, you could walk this whole time?" Bridgett added, a little bit disturbed.

Tartar didn't appear to be amused. "You speak as if you know me. Who are you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I explained. But let's just say I know about all the shit you're going to pull."

Tartar did some calculations in order to find out who she was. "Number 10,008. Correct?"

Bridgett didn't respond.

"...How do you know who I am?"

Bridgett turned to Adrian. "You need to go. Get out of here. Now."

"But… Your stomach…" Adrian responded.

"GO!" Bridgett yelled. As Adrian began to leave from the station, Bridgett slowly stood up to face her foe.


	21. The End of Everything - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the finale, the NSS faces Tartar in a final confrontation, and they quickly find themselves in the middle of the ultimate struggle for the survival of the universe.

**Back in Present Day**

They hurried to the front of the building where large entry door was. To their dismay, however, the door was tightly shut, and the keypad next to it was smashed.. "Dammit!" Marie yelled. "The submarine is on the other side."

Marina let go of Callie and went over the keyboard, seeing how bad the damage was. "There's no way this will work now."

Jessica went and tried to pull on the door, but nothing. "We're trapped."

Marie grunted. "Ok. New plan. Back to the lab. We'll have to work with what we have from there."

As they turned around, however, they saw that multiple Stalker Beasts were creeping toward them one of the hallways. They stopped, staring at them in horror. With how strong they were, they were hopelessly outgunned already.

"...Well… It was nice knowing you guys." Callie gulped.

"...Get back to the lab." Dylan said. "I'll hold them off."

"Don't be stupid, Dylan." Jessica replied. "I can do it."

"You have more use to the team than I do. Go. I'll be fine."

"Come on." Marie said hesitantly. Everyone but Dylan quickly ran back to the lab, but they couldn't run too fast because of Callie.

As soon as the Beasts saw them run for it, they began to lunge forward to chase them, but Dylan quickly rolled in front of them, pulling out his Hero Shot. The Beasts then attempted to attack him, but he quickly used all his knowledge on acrobatics to dodge their attacks.

He fired at them with the Hero Shot, but of course, it wasn't doing much. It wasn't doing anything, in fact.

Eventually, they started to catch up with him, as one of them managed to grab him and slam him against the wall. He bounced off, and quickly regained his senses to dodge more attacks. Taking them on all at once wasn't a smart idea.

"Stop!" Marie yelled at the team as she herself stopped and turned around. They could still see Dylan fighting them off from a bit of a distance. "He can't fight them on his own." Marie let go of Callie, pulling out her Hero Charger, but Jessica grabbed her arm.

To Marie's horror, Dylan was finally overpowered. He was slammed into the wall again, and as he bounced off, he landed awkwardly on his stomach, dropping his Hero Shot. With a scream, he was dragged into the oncoming horde of beasts as they piled on top of him.

"FOUR!" Marie screamed, running up. The beasts heard her scream, but chose to ignore it as they were now busy feasting on Dylan, who could be heard screaming in pain. "FOOOOUR!"

"He's gone!" Jessica said, not letting go of her arm.

Dylan could be heard screaming loudly still, as the beasts trampled him like massive ants, slowly dying.

Marie began to cry. There was no saving him, but the least they could do was give him a quicker death than the hell he was experiencing. She pulled out a grenade. "I'm so sorry, Four."

She pulled the pin and threw it as hard as she could, before it landed right in the pile. Dylan's screams were abruptly stopped as the grenade went off and completely demolished that section of the hallway.

"WE HAVE TO GO!" Jessica screamed.

As Marie went back to grab Callie, she remembered when she first met and recruited Dylan to be Agent 4. Just like Jessica, he was just an innocent Inkling who happened to follow her into a storm drain. She remembered how when they first met, Dylan didn't know who the Squid Sisters were. She remembered how just like Jessica, he fearlessly traveled headfirst into the domes of Octo Canyon, rescuing the Great Zapfish and Callie. She remembered everything the two had been through together since the NILS statue.

The team went back to carrying Callie, attempting to go to the lab, but of course, the sound of the explosion caught the attention of even more Beasts walking among the facility. Soon enough, more intercepted them, stopping them dead in their tracks.

* * *

**Back with Bridgett**

"I'm not going to ask you again. How do you know who I am?" Tartar said angrily.

Bridgett sighed. "…Ok this is gonna sound really weird, but I'm from the future. I come from like, a year and a half after you destroy Inkopolis. And I came back to kick your… telephone face in, and set shit straight, alright?"

Tartar continued to stare suspiciously.

"...Look, I don't know if you're a complete psychopath yet, so I just want to say… Destroying Inkopolis and then using a time machine to take over the universe or whatever? It's not worth it. You still have time, to drop the blender parts, drop the experiments, and set things right before things go really, really, wrong. And trust me, things will go really, really, wrong."

"...If my plan works as you say it does, how do things go so wrong? Hm?"

"Because you're delusional. You think wiping out sentient life is the answer. I heard you explain it all to Marina."

Tartar raised his head to the word Marina. "…Mother…"

"Oh, yeah, and your 'Mother'. Let's just say that you're really gonna ruin her life. Do you really want that for dearest mommy?"

"So I destroy Inkopolis and that witch still lives?"

Bridgett raised an eyebrow. He really didn't like Marina. "Look… I don't know how much good you have in you this far back in the past, but… I'm really counting on you to do the right thing. Because, I really don't wanna fight you, and you don't wanna fight me."

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Because you're wrong. Inklings and Octolings are both beautiful species, we just… have some darkness within us. And no matter what you may think of us, Inkopolis and the rest of the planet is worth saving."

Suddenly, several sanitized Octarians came in, preparing to attack her. She gripped her Hero Shot, but to her surprise, Tartar reached up his hand to stop them. They obeyed.

Tartar leaned down to Bridgett. "What about my mother?"

Bridgett softly smiled as she thought about Marina, knowing that she was now getting somewhere. For what seemed like the first time in a year and 6 months, something was going right. "Marina, she's… The nicest and most caring person I've ever met. And all-in-all, she's actually a pretty great mother figure, and… I think you're very wrong about her."

Tartar went back to standing straight, but didn't take his eyes off her. "So Marina is like a mother to you too, huh?"

Bridgett nodded. "And I love her with all my hearts."

"Hm." Tartar said with a reassuring nod. Bridgett began to feel a little peace, finally feeling like she had won. But it didn't last long.

Suddenly, Tartar grabbed Bridgett by the throat. She groaned out, grabbing his arm and attempting to pull it off.

"You're just like Marina. You idiotic Octolings. Fools who think your kinds are worth saving."

As Bridgett struggled to breath with Tartar's fingers wrapped around her throat, she looked over Tartar's shoulders. To both her dismay and her relief, IA3 was standing in the corner of the room.

"You better come up with a backup plan, kid! You don't have a lot of time!" She yelled, and of course, only Bridgett could hear it.

Bridgett tried to fight back, but because of her stomach wound, couldn't do much. She pulled out her grenade, and then gently rolled it underneath Tartar.

Tartar, confused at what she just threw, let go of Bridgett for just long enough for her to bounce back and escape the explosion radius. Despite Tartar being directly over the grenade, he tanked the explosion, barely taking a scratch.

Bridgett sighed. "He's fucking unkillable…" She mumbled to herself. She needed to come up with a plan, fast.

Tartar didn't take that long to get up, and Bridgett, in her fit of panic, came up with the best plan she had; Run.

She pulled out another grenade and pulled the pin. Tartar, now knowing this trick, attempted to grab it, but suddenly, with perfect timing, Bridgett threw it up to the ceiling, it exploding against the glass. Tartar looked up as glass fell down over them. Then, without hesitating, Bridgett super jumped through the hole.

Just like the other times she went up through the ceiling, this brought her right to the Coccyx Phase of the NILS statue, but she quickly realized that it didn't look the same. Everything was still under construction, and an army of Sanitized Octarians were waiting for her.

She grasped her stomach in fear. She was not ready for this level of combat right now. She was only getting weaker still from her wound. As she prepared to raise her gun and fight back, something suddenly hit her in the head. With a grunt, she fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

**Back in Present Day**

Marina looked around, noticing they were right by a window to one of the smaller lab rooms, a door nearby. "Guys! In here!"

Before the Beasts could catch them, they quickly got into the room and slammed the door. The Beasts stayed outside, attempting to ram their way in.

"Is this room good enough, Marie?" She asked.

They set Callie down on the table. "Maybe. No promises."

Marina looked back. "I don't think it'll be long before they break in." She then looked around. It was a smaller room, but there was two doors. Only one of them was being banged into. "Guys! There's another door we can sneak out of!"

Marie wasn't listening. She was too busy looking around the room for anything she could use to treat Callie's wound.

Marina silently watched, before attempting to see if she was willing to talk still. "…I'm sorry about Dylan."

"It's all of our losses." She replied simply, wiping the tears from her face. She pulled some bandages out of a drawer, and then turned back to Callie, preparing to put them on. However, Callie stopped her.

"Marie, Marie, stop, please don't bother." Callie sighed.

"What? You leg is injured, I need to treat it!"

"It doesn't matter what you do to treat it, the thing's useless now, and we're surrounded by killer Beasts that aren't exactly easy to kill. Just let me go, and go save yourself. I'll just slow you down."

Marie continued to treat the wound. "No. I already lost Gramps, and I lost Four just a minute ago, I am NOT losing you too!"

"Marie, please. I've made up my mind. Just, please, go save yourself."

"I would never leave you behind to those things!"

"Marie, you've already done so much for me." Callie said, beginning to cry as memories of the Squid Sisters began to flood her. "You convinced me to start music, you saved me from the Octarians, you've stopped me from making so many more stupid decisions over the years, you've already given the world to me. I never really got a chance to give the world back."

"Stop talking as if this is goodbye! We're all getting out of here together!"

"Marie…" Marina said, stepping forward and grabbing her arm. "…She doesn't wanna come."

Marie let go of the bandages, defeated. She looked down for several moments, before looking back up at Callie, tears streaming down her face.

"It's all gonna be fine, Marie." Callie continue. "You promised me that and now I'm promising you."

Several moments went by, Marie accepting defeat, the door being banged on rapidly the whole time.

"Marie, it's not gonna be long before they bust through the door. We need to go." Marina pressured.

Marie grabbed her charger. "I agree. Go. Destroy the machine."

"Are you not coming with us?"

"Those beasts are gonna be chasing you next, you're gonna need somebody to hold them off."

"Marie…"

"Callie and I gave each other a promise. I wouldn't break it for the world." Marie finished. She turned back to Callie, extending her pinky to her. "Squid Sisters forever."

Callie tearfully grabbed it with her own pinky. "Squid Sisters forever."

Marina stared at them in disbelief for another few seconds, but knew she had to quickly accept it, unless she wanted to stand around and get eaten. Now crying herself, she hugged Marie. "Thank you for everything."

Marie sadly accepted the hug. "Go. Get out of here."

Marina grabbed her Hero Shot, and along with Pearl and Jessica, began to walk out. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The three of them completely failed to notice and Sheldon stayed behind in the room with the cousins, as the door shut.

"Sheldon, what are you doing!? Get out of here!" Marie said angrily.

"You convinced me to join the depressing Splatoon, sister, and I swore to the role of Agent 5 to my death." Sheldon said, standing up on a table, "If there's no Squid Sisters, there's no Splatoon. I'm with you to the end of the line." He pulled his out his own Hero Shot.

Marie sighed. "Oh, Sheldon…"

"So are we gonna do this?" Callie asked. She slid herself off the table, continuing to lean on it with most of her weight going on her good leg, grabbing her own Hero Shot.

Callie and Marie stood side by side, shoulders touching, while Sheldon continued to stand on the table. All weapons were ready.

"I love you, Marie."

"I love you, Callie."

A few seconds passed, and the door finally slammed open, the Beasts flowing in with several roars.

* * *

**Back with Bridgett**

Bridgett slowly opened her eyes and looked around, feeling as weak as ever. She was back in her Deepsea Metro outfit, Octoshot still in hand. She was… back in Octavio's base again.

She was unable to get up, she could barely even move. Her limbs were so weak that they might as well have been chopped off and it wouldn't have mattered. Turning her head, she looked up to see the floating platform. No. Not this again.

She was regaining a little bit of her ability to move her limbs, but could still barely move from her current spot. She looked around. Cap'n Cuttlefish, who she was ridiculously relieved to see, was standing beneath the platform, looking back up at it.

"Cuttlefish?" Despite her weakness, she was still able to speak clearly. "Cuttlefish!"

He ignored her, not taking her eyes off of the platform.

Bridgett, currently having no patience, quickly got upset. "Cuttlefish!"

Cuttlefish finally turned to her. "Bridgett?"

Bridgett smiled. "It's… it's so good to see you…"

"You! You let us all die!" He suddenly yelled, his eyes becoming angry.

"W-What?"

Cuttlefish began to slowly wobble up to her. "You let us die! You let us down!" He continued to yell angrily. Suddenly, his hand literally disappeared from his body, disintegrating into dust before Bridgett's eyes, and his cane dropped to the floor as the grip on it was lost. Bridgett could only stare in confusion to what she was witnessing.

Cuttlefish was still walking up to her. "You let us die!" He repeated as his legs also turned to dust. Without something to stand with, he fell down face-first, as his whole body collapsed into dust as well.

Bridgett began to cry. "Cuttlefish…"

"Bridge…" She heard Dylan say from another corner of the room. She turned to face him, seeing him staring back with a very disappointed look. "You were supposed to protect us." Then, all at once, his body turned into dust, floating away in some non-existent wind.

Bridgett quickly realized she could finally move again, as she slowly got up. She reached for the dust, but it was already floating away off the platform.

"Eight…" She heard another voice say behind her. She turned around to see Marina, once again stabbed in the stomach, ink furiously bleeding from her mouth. "I don't feel so good…"

"Marina…" Bridgett said, slowly walking toward her. Suddenly, Marina lunged at her in a hug, grasping onto her for dear life.

"I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go…" Marina repeated in fear as Bridgett slowly laid her on her back, where she laid painfully, staring into Bridgett's crying eyes. "…I'm sorry…" She muttered one last time as she slowly faded into dust.

As her body disappeared, Bridgett, who was partially laying on her, fell through the dust, suddenly colliding with the floor. She turned around to watch the dust float away, silently weeping to herself, in absolutely shocked.

Slowly, she looked up toward the platform. She could just barely see her Inner Agent 3, cape flowing as always, kneeling down on one knee.

IA3 stood up and turned to face her. Her face was frowning at first, but slowly, it became a distorted smile, like that of a clown. "You're running out of time, kid."

Bridgett waited for her to come crashing down, but nothing ever came. Just the soulless stare and the surreal smile. She looked back down, quickly noticing that her legs were fading to dust.

"No…" She muttered. She attempted to stand up, but ended up in more of a crawling motion without her legs. Her head shot up as her body slowly faded into dust.

Then, suddenly, with a gasp, she was back. She shot awake from her dream, her eyes opening instantly, a hard cough escaping her mouth. Her stomach hurt now more than ever, but at least she could move.

She slowly got up on all fours and threw up some ink, as she grabbed her Hero Shot and attempted to stand up. She analyzed her surroundings. Ironically, she seemed to be where she originally fought the brainwashed Jessica, on the elevator in the Spinal Phase. She looked over to see the Young Tartar, who was leaning on one of the platforms, playing with his fingers.

"...Welcome back, number 10,008." Tartar said, looking up. The elevator was ascending. Why would he be taking her to the surface? "We have so much to talk about."

Her attempt to stand up failed; Her legs currently felt like jelly, and she was barely able to keep herself up with her arms. She shakily gripped her Hero Shot with all her strength just so that she wouldn't drop it. She was shaking so bad she was reminding herself of how Cuttlefish would shake all the time.

Tartar stood up and walked over to her, towering over her. "I saw the wound. You're going to die soon, even if I spared your life."

Bridgett grumbled. "…I know a friend who survived way worse…"

"...You're trying to hold on to hope. I can respect that. But what I cannot respect is that you continue to hold on when there is no hope."

Bridgett sighed. "…You got me, so why am I still alive?"

"Like I just said, you're going to die anyway, so I'm taking you up to see the sun one last time. I'm forgiving like that."

Bridgett closed her eyes. The sun… The sun would be a great thing to stare at right now. But, she wasn't about to just let Tartar walk her up and go out like that. She was going to go out with a fight.

Gripping her Hero Shot even harder, she mustered all her strength to stand up. Slowly, limb by limb. It was the hardest time she had ever had with such a basic task.

"Don't, Number 10,008. You'll hurt yourself." Tartar said, a little amused.

Bridgett continued trying to stand up, slowly and steadily, when suddenly, Tartar got aggressive. He kicked her in the stomach, instantly flaring up her stomach more than it was already flared. She yelped out in pain.

"Don't be stupid, Number 10,008…" To Tartar's surprise, she still wasn't done. He stood still, staring in awe.

She pushed past the pain. Slowly, Bridgett finally got back on her feet and put herself into a battle position. Hero Shot in hand, and her breathing heavy and slow, she got ready for the fight of her life. She shook her head in disapproval. "…I can do this all day…"

* * *

**Back in Present Day**

With half of the team now gone, Marina, Pearl, and Jessica were now the last ones left. Without stopping, they quickly ran back to the central lab and closed the doors, securing the area.

Now that they had a moment to breathe again, Marina sighed and began to cry, leaning on a table. "I wouldn't have let us go on this mission if I had known we'd lose more than we gained…"

Pearl went to comfort her. "There's nothing we can do about it now. For now, all we can do is stay here and pray Bridgett gets back to us. Then we'll destroy the machine."

"We don't have time to wait for Bridgett." Jessica said, pacing rapidly. "How are we supposed to destroy the machine?"

"We have a big bomb." Marina said, pulling it out from her armor. "Powerful enough to decimate the entire facility. Even if it doesn't directly breach the machine's force field, the machine would lose its footing and its power source and shut down."

Jessica stared in disbelief. "You do realize that if we're locked in, that bomb is gonna kill us too, right?"

Marina looked down. "Well… not if we can find a way out. But…" She looked at Pearl. "…We may not be walking out of here alive."

Pearl looked back in horror. They all took several moments to stare at each other, the dark reality of their situation settling in. "…So this is it then? This is where we die…"

Marina didn't answer the question. "…Let's just save the bomb for a last resort. Come on. Let's see if we can breach the force field somehow."

They began to walk to the the time machine room, when suddenly, something grabbed Marina by the throat, shoving her into the wall. Pearl immediately reacted and attempting to reach for her, but was knocked back into a wall.

_"You wanted to breach my armor…"_  Tartar said, staring directly into her eyes. His armor skin was completely torn off, revealing the disgusting mold of body parts that was his exoskeleton. His eyes were just massive red lights. Without his mouth, he was speaking through a mere unmoving speaker, his voice distorted kind of like a voice scrambler.  _"Well, now you get to see the real me, mother."_

Marina attempted to speak, but she was being choked too hard, absolutely no air passing through her throat.

_"I don't care if my plan fails anymore. All these cockroaches I've dedicated my life to hating, they're not worth it. All I really want… is to see you die."_

Marina was already blacking out as she stared into his massive red eyes. She wanted so badly to call out to Pearl.

_"I will rip out your organs while you still live. You will know true pain and shock, and finally, death. You will know what I have dealing with my whole life."_

Suddenly, a big metal tube whammed him in the side of his head, and without his armor, sparks flew out like blood where he was just hit. He let go of Marina, who slid down to the floor, desperately gasping for all the air she could fit in her lungs.

Tartar turned around, grabbing where the sparks were flying out.  _"Executioner."_

Jessica prepared herself for battle. "Taking off your armor wasn't so smart."

Tartar laughed, although no smile could be seen without his mouth.  _"Go ahead, Executioner. Kill me. See if you can before I kill you."_

Before Jessica could say anything, Tartar lunged at her, which she swiftly dodged. One of the broken Executioner spear pieces was still lying on the ground, which she grabbed with a roll.

The next time Tartar lunged, she dodged once more pierced him in the chest with it. Currently unable to feel pain, Tartar only laughed maniacally. He was letting out the darkest edges of his insane personality.

Using the spear to tear her way inside, Jessica reached her hand in and pulled out his heart, which was a medium sized energy core. Tartar's body immediately began to shut down, causing him to grunt, but Jessica still wasn't done. She pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin, and shoved it in to where his heart used to be.

Tartar continued to laugh maniacally as the grenade exploded, tearing his body apart. His head bounced off the wall, letting gravity center it in the middle of the room. The red lights from his eyes began to power down, quickly blinking. With the last seconds of his life, Tartar made his final ominous laugh.

_"I have unlocked the chains of which binds all living creatures together. …Death."_ His voice became even more distorted.  _"Professor… Our reunion beckons..."_ Finally, his eyes shut off all together.

They stared each other for several seconds, before suddenly, the entire world around them began to shift in flashing lights. A loud noise erupted, as if they were in the middle of big explosion. They both covered their ears in pain. Pearl grunted. "What the fuck was that!?"

Marina looked around. "Oh no. Reality glitches. Our universe is starting to fall apart. We need to destroy the machine now!"

* * *

**Back with Bridgett**

Tartar grunted in anger, and then lunged at her, when all of a sudden, Bridgett activated her Ink Armor one more time, which as a side effect, gave her a little bit of her strength back. As Tartar punched her straight in the face, she wasn't affected at all, allowing her to follow up with her own weak punch.

Tartar fell back a little bit, and Bridgett began to fire a line of ink as her Armor ran out, and Tartar strafed around. Bridgett was unable to catch up as Tartar rolled behind her and attacked her knees, knocking her off her one foot.

Tartar grasped Bridgett from behind, holding her in a position where he could snap her neck if he wanted. "Octarians!" He called out.

Several Sanitized Octocopters flew into the scene at once, each one carrying Twintacle Octotroopers. Instantly, green ink from everywhere was being sent in her direction, and as soon as possible, she pulled out her Baller, instantly knocking Tartar off and protecting her from any and all shots of ink.

She used the baller to tank the ink for a few seconds, and then as she saw Tartar coming in for another hit, she set the Baller to explode. It immediately splatted most of the Octarians and knocked Tartar into the glass railing.

Quickly, she pulled back out her Hero Shot and began to fire at any remaining Octarians, doing so swiftly, even with her pain and weakness. As they became splatted, multiple Sanitized Octolings then dropped into the arena.

"Seek and destroy!" They called out like robots. Bridgett quickly slid away and hid behind a platform, laying down some ink for her to hide in her octopus form. She was unable to bring in as much ink thanks to her injury, but soon enough, she came out with her next attack: The Inkjet.

She flew across the air with style, the Octolings pointing up and trying to shoot her out of the air. She responded with massive shots of ink, instantly splatting around 3 of them. 2 more remained, however, when her Inkjet ran out and she leaped back to where she was hiding. Once again pulling out her Hero Shot, she quickly stepped away from the platform and fired upon the Octolings, and while she was too weak to strafe their attacks, she was able to splat them both first before they laid too much ink on her.

She grunted and took a second to refill her ink, and then quickly stood back up when she remembered that the real fight was about to begin.

Tartar lunged at her from behind, and she quickly turned around to block the attack. Tartar grabbed the Hero Shot, and the two wrestled with each other for control.

"Give up with peace, Number 10,008. You cannot hope to beat me in your current state." Tartar muttered, as he managed to take the Hero Shot from her hands, knocking her down and smashing it beneath his foot. "Your destiny is to die here."

"Don't even talk to me about destiny…" Bridgett grunted as she stood back up and resorted to punches. This was the part of the battle where she was starting to realize just how much we weakness was gonna affect the outcome.

She was no match for his metal body. With one move, Tartar knocked her against the platform wall and began to wallop at her. This was reminding her of both her fight with the Executioner, and her fight with the older Tartar. Now having a bloody nose, she activated the Ink Armor again and tanked the hits.

As soon as the armor ran out, she dodged another punch to the side, grasping her stomach from the pain this brought. She prepared herself to continue fighting. This was the time to bring out all she learned from Jessica.

Tartar lunged again, and this time, she was straight up ready. Mustering the last of her strength, she grabbed his fist from the air and shoved him back, wrestling him onto the floor. Tartar was once again surprised.

Bridgett got on top of him. "This is why you don't destroy a society filled with innocent people just because you see them the wrong way… You piss people off." She used all of the strength in her arms to punch him in the face multiple times. The green sludge that leaked from his face began to get on her fist.

This was it. The final blow. Tartar looked on in fear as she used her finishing move; She activated her splashdown, rising into the air. This wasn't even an ordinary Splashdown, this one was improved by Marina, and even stronger. Time seemed to slow down in this moment.

Then, Bridgett came crashing down right into Tartar's chest, an explosion of red ink covering most of the platform, even knocking it down just a little bit. It was the strongest strike from a single Splashdown from history.

As the ink settled and the area became visible again, Bridgett looked down at her foe. His body was completely torn apart, his head once again disembodied. She stared for several seconds, feeling victorious for the first time in a long time.

"Grkk! G-g-gaahhh!" Tartar spurted out, as his head began to shake uncontrollably, shutting down.

Bridgett smiled. "…Any last words, you god damn telephone?"

Tartar was still spasming. "…Octotroopers!" He spoke, presumable through a com system. "…Activate… self… destruct…" These were his last words as his telephone body finally broke down, falling apart in front of her.

Bridgett looked up. Self destruct?

* * *

**Back in Present Day**

They ran into the time machine room together. The time machine was absolutely freaking out, and was now floating through the air. "…Is that normal!?"

"Nope." Marina sighed. She pulled out the big bomb. "I hate to say it but we don't have time to wait for Eight. I'm going to set up the bomb to blow up the facility, and then we'll only have a few moments to break out."

"How long can the timer set to?"

Marina looked at it. "A couple minutes."

"Marina… I think we should stay."

Jessica sighed to herself, sitting down by the corner of the room, staring at the beautiful lights of the machine. She really didn't care if these were her final moments.

Marina looked up from the bomb. "What?"

"We're not getting out of here. All of our friends are dead or missing… Maybe we should just…" Pearl stopped, grabbing her hand.

"Why is everyone so suicidal today?"

"This was our final mission. Tartar's dead. We won. But in order to keep that victory, we need to do this."

Marina stared in disbelief. She took a few moments to accept the reality, the harsh, cold, reality. Now she was kind of glad Bridgett was still missing, she would never want to subject her to this. She looked at Jessica, just to see that she was still here. Jessica locked eye contact with her. "…Thank you for helping us." She decided to say.

Jessica nodded. "I didn't do it for you." She played a little but with her Hero Outfit. Now that Tartar was dead, she felt satisfied enough to leave the world in peace. "…Do you think… that Cuttlefish would be willing forgive me if he were still here?"

Marina hesitated, and then nodded.. "…Absolutely." She turned back to Pearl, but continued to stare down at the bomb. "…If I start the timer, there's no stopping it."

Pearl looked at her with fear. "…What other choice do we have?"

* * *

**Back with Bridgett**

"Shit…" She slowly got up. Now that her rush of adrenaline was over, she was getting weaker once again. Suddenly, large explosions began to rock the statue. She looked up, and sure enough, fiery explosions were raining down debris everywhere. While she was glad the statue was currently being destroyed, she was now caught in the middle of it.

As the entire facility began to flash red lights, she looked over on the other end of the elevator, where her IA3 was standing. She had an approving look on her face.

"...Not bad, kid." She disappeared for the final time.

Before she could plan some sort of epic escape, a large piece of debris slammed into the pillars that were holding the elevator, and the whole thing became crashing down. As the elevator lost its footing, she toppled off of it into a face-up free fall.

As she fell, she quickly accepted her death. She had succeeded. If Marina was correct in her theory, time should now reset. She saved Inkopolis.

She was heading straight for a pit of fire. With her final tears, she turned her thoughts back to Marina and Dylan, the last comfort she had in her life. Too bad she couldn't be with them in her last moments.

She closed her eyes.

* * *

**Back in Present Day**

Marina hesitated to start the bomb, breathing heavily, one of the worst panic attacks she had ever felt settled in. She began to shiver from fear and what might be waiting for her.

Pearl took sight of this and grabbed her hand. "…We'll go out together. We'll be together."

Marina suddenly burst into tears, throwing her arms around Pearl like a wild animal. "Pearlie…" She said through her sobbing. "I don't wanna die."

In a strange change of pace, Pearl was the only calm one out of the two. "Neither do I. I'll be right here with you, I promise. We're Off the Hook to the end."

"I can't just go out like this, I, I, I…" She started but couldn't find the right words. "I have too much I wanna say to you."

Pearl closed her eyes, fighting back her own tears. "Me too. So let's summarize."

"Oh, Pearlie…" Marina said, her crying getting louder. "I'm so sorry. I don't deserve you..."

"I don't deserve you."

"I fucked up so hard with you, and, and, and…"

"Marina, all of it is alright. You're still my best friend." Pearl was now failing to keep her tears contained. "I'm not leaving your side."

Marina continued to strongly sob into her ear, but Pearl didn't mind. With a deep breath, Pearl suddenly took the bomb from Marina and activated it. 2 minutes remained as it began counting down.

"I'm right here." Pearl said, rubbing the back of Marina's head in comfort. Marina was holding on to Pearl so tight she thought she thought she might crush her.

For 2 minutes, they simply sat there, not letting go of each other, simply enjoying each other's presence in their final moments. Marina remembered all the emotional memories they shared together, from when they first met, to how Pearl showed her Inkling society, to how she showed her the notes of Ebb & Flow, which inspired them to start a band together. They would never have dreamed in a million years that Off the Hook would live up to and replace the Squid Sisters, but somehow, they did it.

Every few seconds, Pearl repeated "I'm right here." to make sure the point was well within Marina's brain. Calming down a little, Marina buried her face in Pearl's neck, keeping her as close as physically possible.

The timer continued to tick down as light continued to erupt from the time machine. 30 seconds to live.

Marina wondered where Bridgett had gone. Wherever she was, Marina prayed that she was safe and happy. She was… like a daughter to her.

10 seconds remained.

Pearl lightly kissed Marina on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, Pearlie."

Jessica stared at them, her mind on Cuttlefish the whole time.

5 seconds remained.

They all closed their eyes tightly.

3

2

1

* * *

An underwater explosion could be heard from a distance, as the sun rose on an empty Inkopolis.

The city where few buildings remained, or any structures for that matter, where small animals like birds could now thrive.

Years and years passed. The forgotten city slowly got overrun by plants and wildlife. No sentient life-form remained in the surface world, and just like with the humans before them, the planet was left to proceed wherever nature went next.

Just the next step in the cycle of life.

* * *

**The New Timeline**

Bridgett's eyes slowly drifted open, confusion setting over her. Had she been dreaming? She must have been.

They must have never went back to Tartar Labs. She must have never went back in time, she must have never fought Tartar. Thus, she fully expected to awake to the smell of Marie cooking breakfast, maybe a little tune played by the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook.

She awoke and stood up. There was no injury in her stomach, but her surroundings were… very unfamiliar. She awoke in a nice bed, in a nice bedroom, in nice pajamas. Now more confused than ever, she got up and opened the blinds to the window. She could see Inkopolis, non-destroyed, still glowing with life.

She was immediately sent into a emotional state when she saw this, covering her mouth. It was so beautiful. She must have changed time after all.

She looked around the room. It was a simple room, white walls, a closet, a bed. She double checked to see that her stomach was no longer injured, and it was, not even a scar present. Her body was now as if the NILS statue never struck, but, she still remembered everything.

She turned to the dresser, where a couple photographs sat in frames. The version of her in this timeline must have never went through the metro, instead leaving straight to Inkopolis right after she left the Valley. This is what she assumed at least, and the happy Octoling in the pictures that was herself was all the evidence she needed.

She felt a pinch of satisfaction and happiness when she saw her own smile. She truly seemed happy in this timeline.

But now, what happened to the rest of the Splatoon? She had to go investigate. She moved over to her closet, where she was met with a variety of different clothing. She put on the closest to her and left in a hurry.

* * *

**Inkopolis Square**

Bridgett looked around in amazement as she reached Inkopolis Square. She looked up at the massive digital billboards and television screens in awe. The blue sky, the fresh air, the life… it was all so peaceful. She was crying so many tears from the beauty of it alone.

Suddenly, a TV screen on the Battle Lobby tower burst to life, music beginning to play. Pearl and Marina popped on screen.

_"Y'all know what time it is!"_ Pearl started.

_"It's Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!"_ Marina continued.

Pearl and Marina… They were still around in this timeline. Pearl and Marina were currently going over the Turf War stages and whatever, but she wasn't really listening. She slowly walked up to the TV screen as if she could jump up through the screen and hug Marina. She walked all the way up to almost the tower itself when she turned and saw them.

In a little studio on the right side of the Square, she could see them through the glass, recording the news in person. Already getting emotional again, she went up to the glass, and patiently waited for them to finish recording, awkwardly putting her full face on the glass, unaware she was looking kind of stupid as a result.

As the popstars went back to their seats, they both noticed Bridgett, confused expressions on their faces. Pearl covered her mouth as if she was trying to hide a snicker, but Marina just simply collected her cool and gave an awkward wave.

Bridgett backed up from the glass in disappointment. They didn't seem to recognize her, but she wasn't about to sit around and guess. She looked around, seeing if there was an easy way into the building, although there didn't seem to be one.

She came up with the next best thing. She investigated the Square for the bit, finding something she could use, and sure enough, she stumbled upon a small postbox with papers and a pencil laying about. She took the pencil and a single piece of paper, and walked back to the studio, before writing her message in large bold letters.

Marina, who was still talking with Pearl, turned to see Bridgett place the paper on the glass. One of her eyebrows raised as she read the message.

_THIS IS BRIDGETT. DO YOU RECONGIZE ME? I SURVIVED THE MACHINE._

"Who?" Marina suddenly asked, also directing Pearl's attention to the paper.

"Oh dear…" Pearl said, awkwardly. "Uh… stalker alert."

Marina gave her a long look, before decided that no, she did not recognize the person. She began to feel creeped out. "Um… I think we should just go out for lunch…"

Pearl sighed. "If you're buying."

"Pearlie, we both have more money than we can count..."

"Haha, so?"

The two collected their things and headed through the door in the back. Defeated, Bridgett dropped the paper and looked down in despair. They must have been overwritten.

She began to turn around from the glass, looking around to see the Inklings around her staring at her like she was some sort of creep. Bridgett sighed, walking away to mask her tears.

* * *

**Cuttlefish Bunker**

The elevator slowly descended to the bottom of the bunker, opening to let Bridgett in, who had known the keypad code to get in in the first place. She opened the door to the rest of the bunker and looked around. It looked very different from when she last saw it, not only because of how it had been a while since she had last been here, but because it no longer had Marina's extra touches to it. She sighed and looked around. Although the emotion surprised her, she was strangely nostalgic to the place.

She sat down at the dining room table, remembering all the memories she had here. If the versions of the people she knew and loved were overwritten in the transition… then it was kind of like they died. The people who replaced them aren't the people that she knew. The very thought brought her grief.

She sat for several minutes, silently weeping as she faced the facts. Marina no longer recognized her. To her, they never met. A part of her wanted to go back to the old timeline, just so she could hug the Marina she knew one last time. After sitting at the table for as long as she wanted, she moved over to where her bedroom used to be. As she expected, none of her belongings remained.

Nothing remained. Outside of the cans of food that laid about, the bunker was empty and unbelievably lifeless. She felt so alone compared to how she felt in the actual apocalypse, which was the weirdest thought ever.

But yet it was a legit emotion nonetheless. She was now alone, she now had nobody. As she turned to leave, she heard noises coming from the elevator.

Immediately taking a defensive position, she reached for her Hero Shot, which of course wasn't there. So instead, she stood awkwardly as the doors opened and someone walked in.

"Ahoy! Damn Octoling! How did you get down here!?" Cap'n Cuttlefish said, weapon pointed straight at her.

"Cuttlefish…" Bridgett sighed in relief. "It's so good to see you…"

"Shut up! I'm not gonna ask again, how did you get down here!?"

Bridgett felt like her heart dropped from her stomach when she realized how this looked from Cuttlefish's point of view. She was an Octarian and just broke into his super secret bunker… "Um… I can explain…"

"You'd better." Cuttlefish said angrily.

Bridgett chose her words carefully, before letting it all out.

* * *

**Around an Hour Later**

**Cuttlefish Cabin, Octo Canyon**

"...So… Just so I have this clear…" Marie started. "…You're from another timeline where Inkopolis was destroyed, and so you leaped through a tear in space-time to go back in time and destroy a telephone, thus saving Inkopolis from certain doom?"

Bridgett sighed. "I… Ok yeah it sounds crazy when I say it out loud."

"I dunno, seems pretty legit to me." Callie said, sipping her coffee.

Cap'n Cuttlefish, Marie, Callie, and Sheldon all sat around the Cabin, the Squid Sisters enjoying their coffee as Sheldon and Cuttlefish sat more toward the back.

"...And you were Agent 8?" Cuttlefish questioned one last time.

"Yeah…" Bridgett said awkwardly. "I guess it's ok if you don't believe me, but… I do feel like I've gotten to know you all pretty well in that other timeline."

Marie stepped forward. "Well, Bridgett, I'm afraid that without solid proof we have literally no reason to believe you. In fact, if you want, I can pay to get you proper help…"

Bridgett sighed yet again. "Well… I know you two are excellent dancers."

She smirked a little bit. "Sweetie, anyone who's anyone just kind of knows that about us, you're gonna have to try harder."

"I know that Callie has some bizarre sexual interests."

Callie spit out her coffee a little bit with a chuckle. "Whaaaat? That's crazy… I would never…"

Bridgett continued. "I know she likes to sleep with a teddy bear every night."

Then Callie straight up dropped the coffee, her chuckle still existent but now even more awkward.

Marie eyed her suspiciously, knowing that she was right, and should have no way of knowing it unless she was either a crazy stalker or telling the truth.

Bridgett went down the line to Sheldon. "I know that you have a huge soft spot for anyone who's into technology, and I know that you like to talk a lot."

Sheldon rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I mean… Do I really talk a lot? Wait a minute, I don't think I've ever seen you in my store…"

Then, finally, Bridgett turned back to Cuttlefish. "And I know that you love someone named Jessica very much. I know that she's like a granddaughter to you, and you're like a grandfather to her. And I know that you two are inseparable, and would do anything to protect and forgive each other."

Cuttlefish eyed her in amazement. It was all very true. "Great Scott… You really are telling the truth, aren't you…?"

Bridgett nodded. "With all of my hearts."

A plopping sound could be heard from the storm drain, prompting her to turn around. Dylan was standing in his Hero Outfit, as he walked up to the group. "Hey guys. I was called?"

Bridgett immediately blushed. "…Hey, Dylan…"

Dylan looked at her in confusion. "Hey… person…" He turned to Marie. "…Who's this?"

Marie turned back to Bridgett in shock. There was no way on earth she knew who Dylan was. She looked at Cuttlefish. "Gramps? Do you… Do you really believe her?"

Cuttlefish smiled beneath his beard. "…I do."

Bridgett smiled gratefully.

Cuttlefish extended his hand. "Well then, I say welcome back, Agent 8."

She accepted the handshake.

Everyone in the area then went over to Bridgett to give their own handshakes and welcome her to the Splatoon.

Marie sighed as the group wrapped up. "Well, it was lovely catching up with you, Bridgett, but, well, Callie and I need to get going. We have a concert with Off the Hook tonight, and I'm honestly pretty nervous…" She slipped an extra ticket from her jacket. "…Here's an extra free invite, my treat. Only because I invite all the Splatoon members though."

"Oh!" Bridgett suddenly yelled, stopping them. "Off the Hook? Pearl and Marina? They were Agents 6 and 7 in my timeline."

Marie raised an eyebrow.

"I think you should… hire them again. They're really wonderful people to work with." Bridgett finished with a subtle smile.

"Well…" Marie glanced back at Cuttlefish for permission, who just shrugged. "…I'll see what I can do."

* * *

**Bridgett's Apartment**

Bridgett silently returned to her apartment to get prepared for the sudden concert tonight. She had a lot of thoughts to sort through.

She now had relationships to rebuild from scratch, unfortunately, and larger still, a whole new life to face. She didn't know how she was gonna go about tackling it.

She looked through her apartment, eventually coming across papers and pencils. It seems like this timeline's version of her was still into that sort of stuff.

This is when she had an idea. The NSS and world that she knew was gone, but, her memories of them weren't. She spent the next several hours, just, drawing.

She drew as many happy memories as she could think of. She drew Cuttlefish Bunker, she drew the renovated Deepsea Metro, she drew when the NSS finally reassembled, among many other moments.

Then, she wrapped it all off with a final portrait of the NSS together, even including Jessica and Cuttlefish. This piece of artwork was special to her, so she put as much detail in it as her talent possibly could.

Eventually, as the art itself was finished, she colored it in, and then went back to her pencil to leave a caption.

_In loving memory of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, saviors for me and the world._

She hung it on the wall as it concluded. She was going to look at this drawing every day, and remember the people she loved. A single tear fell from her eye, which she silently wiped off. Now she only wished she could see them one last time.

* * *

**Inkopolis Square**

Bridgett reached the Square under the nighttime sky, where Dylan was waiting for her. The concert was just about ready to begin.

Dylan walked up to her, a slight smile extending on his face. "So, uh… Marie says I'm supposed to help you get used to things around here."

Bridgett smiled. "Oh… Uh… Sounds like fun."

"She also said I should take you out for shawarma."

Bridgett blushed. "Oh… You mean like a…"

Dylan raised his eyebrow as Bridgett continued to stutter.

"Like a… like a… date?"

Dylan sighed. "Well, I mean, not exactly. We'll have company."

He moved to the side a bit to reveal the orange haired Inkling, who stared at her almost menacingly.

Bridgett had to keep herself from groaning. "Uh… Hi, Jessica."

"So I see you already know who I am." Jessica said with a slight smirk. "Cuttlefish has already told me about you. He said Dylan and I should keep an eye on you."

"Um… both of you?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No." Bridgett lied. "No problem. Sounds like… sounds like fun." She said with a fake smile.

Jessica didn't buy it. "…I don't know what exactly what you know about me, but… I don't mean any harm. I'm just a girl, and I'm here to make sure you don't break down and have a panic attack facing such a large new world like you are right now."

Bridgett had to keep herself from rolling her eyes, but didn't know to respond.

Jessica was starting to suspect she was making her uncomfortable. "So… Was I… Did I do something to you? In the other timeline or whatever?"

Bridgett looked down. She wasn't doing a good job at hiding her emotions, and now, dammit, Jessica was already onto her.

Jessica turned to Dylan, and then back to Bridgett. "Well, I just hope you can understand that I'm really just here to help. I don't know what I did in the other timeline, but… I promise you I'm not like that here. I'm gonna take care of you, Bridgett."

Bridgett continued to look down awkwardly, but slowly forced herself to lock eye contact with her. The silence between them was getting a bit uncomfortable.

Jessica no longer knew how to convince her. "…Do you trust me?" She said, extending her hand.

Bridgett took several seconds to think through her answer, staring at her outstretched hand. Just as Jessica looked like she was gonna give up and put it down, she accepted the handshake. "…I do."

Jessica nodded with relief. Without saying anything, she began to walk away, leaving Bridgett to Dylan. Bridgett and Dylan stared at each other, as the concert began. Concert lights slowly drifted through the area, hinting at a slower first song.

Everyone looked up at the stage, where Marina and Pearl came out to cheers in their trademark Off the Hook outfits. Slow guitar music began to play, with of course some more electronic elements thrown in.

They began to slowly sing their first lines peacefully, slowly dancing to the beat. After the intro of the song, Callie and Marie joined with their own Squid Sister outfits. They slowly danced in sync with each other, letting the slow song play in peace.

Bridgett slowly grabbed Dylan's hand and rested her head on his shoulder. Dylan, although caught by surprise, shrugged it off, knowing she had been through a lot that he wasn't even aware of.

They watched the four popstars continue on with their emotional song, as Bridgett slowly buried herself more and more in Dylan. She looked up to the dark sky, ready for her new life.

* * *

**A Year Later**

The dark night sky pierced the streets of Inkopolis, the moon clearly visible from the rooftop that Bridgett sat on. She looked over the streets of Inkopolis like a silent guardian, one hanging over the ledge, a radio sitting next to her, which was playing the Calamari Inkantation on loop on low volume. She had been listening to the song every day since she first entered this timeline to remind her of who she was.

With the help of Marina and Sheldon, she had recreated her Hero Outfit and Hero Shot from the previous timeline, which she now wore. As an extra bonus, a gray cape now flowed from her back, the number "8" faintly visible on it in the moonlight.

Suddenly, the Calamari Inkantation stopped as the radio was overridden. Static played, and then an incoming message. Marina's voice sounded.

_"All Agents of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, this is Agent 7. The Great Zapfish has gone missing again, I repeat, the Great Zapfish has gone missing again. We suspect that the Octarians are behind this and request all Agents begin investigating. Over."_  As the message cut off, the Calamari Inkantation began playing again.

Bridgett stood up. Gripping her Hero Shot, she took another look at the moon, and made sure her cape was on tight. Then, swiftly, she spun around and leaped off the building with a flip, jumping into action.

**The End**

* * *

Bridgett, Jessica, and Dylan all silently and awkwardly sat around the table in the middle of the shawarma restaurant. Jessica and Dylan were just sitting, staring down this mysterious food, while Bridgett devoured hers with greed.

"...How are you still hungry?" Jessica asked, slightly amazed, slightly annoyed.

"...It's been a very long time since I've had food like this." Bridgett responded shyly, as she continued to eat at her own.

Dylan sighed, wondering how he got this job.

Jessica rolled her eyes and shrugged it off, before taking a large bite.


End file.
